Monday, November 6, 2017
"We Tried Really Hard to Beat Face ID - and Failed (So Far)"
Topic: Security - Authentication
A little over a month ago Apple had released the announcement of the highly anticipated iPhone X in wake of their iPhone's 10 year anniversary. One of the biggest features of this revolutionary device is Face ID, which is in replacement to the previous Touch ID. The iPhone X has no home button and Face ID allows users to unlock their phone based on facial recognition features. The technologies behind Face ID uses a grid of 30,000 infrared dots in order to inspect the features of the phone's owner. Talk around this latest technology has been around trying to break the system and individuals at Wired tried to get to the bottom of the case.
Breaking the algorithms associated with Face ID was a challenge that the Wired team was willing to tackle. Wired recruited Margaret Caragan, "the founder of Pandora FX, who has worked for more than a decade in making prosthetics and masks for TV and film" (Greenberg). In order to challenge Face ID, the team had the plan of recreating a member's face with an array of different types of material. Their ultimate goal was to simply trick the system and gain access to the user's iPhone X. After the masks had been created and tested, numerous hours of failed attempts had occurred and the team didn't lose complete hope. They know in the near future with more thought and collaboration, the team will soon crack it.
Read the entire article to get an in-depth analysis, this was an overall great read!
Questions:
1) Do you currently have or plan on purchasing the new iPhone X? What is your motivation?
2) What do you think Wired needs to do next in order to crack the Face ID technology?
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/tried-to-beat-face-id-and-failed-so-far/ (link this)
Have a great day!
-Andrew Hom
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Hint: We know your name is Andrew Hom; you posted this with your name on it. You have a great day, too! :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting that Wired went to the extent that they did to try to open the iPhone X. I'm honestly not sure what they would have to do in order to do crack the Face ID technology or what their next step would be. What I liked about the article though, was how they noted how the thumbprint technology of the iPhone 5 was hacked only days after the release but no one has been able to hack the Face ID because of the complexity of the technology. I think I'm a little more skeptical then they are about someone hacking the technology, but I think it'll be interesting to see who, how they did it, and how long it took them if someone is able to do this in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the face ID is a good idea for iPhone X. Compared to touch ID, it does the same work but more convenience. Several of my friends brought iPhone X already. I asked them about the experience with face ID, and most said the technology is not sophisticated enough. Sometimes it doesn't work in different situation, like when you lay down. Now back to your question, I don't think I will buy a new iPhone X in a short term because my phone is great currently. If my phone will break tomorrow, there are still other options to consider, such as google pixel. About Wired, I cannot provide technical advice but I think there's still long way for them to walk in that field.
I don't think that the face ID is an effective security measure. On wired, there was another article explaining how hackers in Vietnam have figured out a way to create a mask worth $150 that does break through the iPhone face recognition. I also have not been able to justify the cost of the iphone X. It seems like $1000 is a lot to spend on something that hackers can seem to get through by replication of facial features.
ReplyDeleteIn order for Wired to crack through, they need to hire an expert on how different IDs including fingerprint, eye, and facial IDs work. This insight would help them understand the "loop holes" they need to get past.
Link for article on Vietnamese hackers: https://www.wired.com/story/hackers-say-broke-face-id-security/
I want to buy the iPhone X, but not for the Face ID feature. I would actually turn this off if I had the phone. It is recommended to use a password if you want a more secure method. Thus, I think organizations who lend out company phones may require the Face ID be disabled. However, Face ID in theory is supposed to be more secure than Touch ID. I read somewhere that there is a 1 in 1 million chance of someone else being able to access your phone with their face, versus a 1 in 50,000 chance with their fingerprint. However, this does not take into account hacks such as making masks. I am not sure how effective it is against this, but it will be interesting to find out.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is this: if you are in a position where someone is going to take the time and resources to make a mask of your face to take it, you should probably be using a password as a more secure means anyways. For most people, I do not think they need to worry. I don't think someone is going to go through the trouble of doing that and trying to steal John Doe's phone to get access to his dog photos and texts to his wife. Do you agree? What are your thoughts?
I was recently in the smartphone market deciding whether to purchase the iPhone 8 or the iPhone X. To me, the Face ID feature wasn't really a motivating factor for buying the iPhone X. From watching reviews, it seemed that it actually took longer to unlock your phone with Face ID instead of using your fingerprint. Additionally, the Face ID requires that you stop what your doing to look directly at your phone to unlock it every time, where as you with Touch ID, you can simply just press your finger on the home button to unlock it.
ReplyDeleteI think Facial ID is a really cool concept, but it isn't really that important to me. I currently have the 7 and it does really everything I need, so I don't think I am going to upgrade to the X any time soon. I hated when they had glass on the front and back of the iPhone 4s because I drop my phone all the time.
ReplyDeleteI think Face ID would be pretty hard to break since everyone has unique facial features but I think there are enough smart people out there who could figure it out somehow.
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