Skip to main content

The Samsung Galaxy S8’s facial sensor can be fooled with a photograph

Galaxy S8
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
When Samsung announced the Galaxy S8 this week, it talked up the flagship’s facial recognition feature — if you choose, you can dispense with a password and use your face to unlock your phone. But initial reports suggest that might not be the most secure alternative. In a video published by iDeviceHelp on Thursday, the Galaxy S8’s facial recognition appears to be fooled by a selfie on another S8.

It’s a weakness Samsung tacitly admitted earlier this week when it clarified that facial recognition can’t be used for Samsung Pay.

“The phones can be unlocked by the face of a sleeping person or even just a photo,” an industry watcher told the Korea Herald. “For now, the facial recognition technology is only intended for fun. It should not be considered as a foolproof security measure.”

The Galaxy S8’s facial recognition may not be better than its forebears, but it’s no worse.

In 2011, Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich Android operating system shipped with facial recognition that could be fooled with a photo. An updated version of the feature, which debuted in Android Jelly Bean, added a “Liveness check” that required users to blink after the initial facial scan. But it, too, was easily circumvented — by pics from Facebook and a photo editing program.

More recently, University of North Carolina researchers demonstrated how similar “Liveness checks” can be fooled by realistic, textured 3D facial models with photos animated by virtual reality systems. Using the 3D models, they were able to fool four out of five security systems 55 percent to 85 percent of the time.

Despite the fact that facial recognition technologies remain relatively easy to fool, they’re seen as something of a biometric holy grail. Facebook’s experimental system can recognize a face without seeing it and Microsoft is developing technology that can decipher emotions from the facial expressions of people who attend political rallies.

One explanation is that one of the most popular alternatives — fingerprints — aren’t much more secure.

Members of Germany’s Chaos Computer Club were able to replicate a fingerprint using high-resolution images of a hand, specialized computer software, a standard printer, glue, and plaster. Researchers at Michigan State University were able to use an inkjet printer to print a 2D image of a fingerprint that fooled most sensors. And police in Michigan used a 3D print of a murder victim’s finger to unlock an iPhone.

If surveys are any indication, it might all be moot. In a recent survey of 1,119 people, a majority — 58 percent — preferred to log into online services with a password versus biometric methods like fingerprints (10 percent) and facial recognition (two percent).

Editors' Recommendations

Kyle Wiggers
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
I’m a lifelong iPhone user. Here’s what I think about the Samsung Galaxy S24
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and S Pen stylus on its screen.

Samsung and Apple typically release new smartphones at different times of the year. Samsung usually does it early in the year, while Apple waits until the fall ahead of the holiday shopping season. As always, Apple tends to release new iPhones that outdo the ones Samsung released earlier, and then when the calendar changes, Samsung comes back with something to better compete with Apple, and so forth.

Samsung has recently announced its Galaxy S24 series, which has sparked the curiosity of iPhone owners like myself. Many of us are currently exploring the features of these phones and seeing which ones aren't available on our iPhones, myself included. Some are entirely new, while others have been introduced on previous Samsung Galaxy S models. Although many seem promising, some may not be as appealing to iPhone users. Here are a few of the Galaxy S24 features I like — and a few I don't.
Circle to Search looks impressive
Circle to Search Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more
Does the Samsung Galaxy S24 come with a pen?
A close-up view of the S Pen next to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Looking for a new flagship phone? The Samsung Galaxy S24 range is now available, and it consists of a trio of models to fit your every premium phone need. Want a compact but powerful phone? Check out the Samsung Galaxy S24. Love a big screen? The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus is for you. Want the bleeding edge of smartphone tech in a ludicrously large frame? The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the super-sized and super-premium phone of your dreams.

A pen or stylus isn't a required element of any smartphone, but as anyone who's sketched or done fine detail work on a touchscreen knows, they're an extremely useful tool. So, you might be wondering if Samsung's new range of smartphones includes a stylus pen or not. There's a simple answer to that: No. But also, yes.

Read more
I have the Samsung Galaxy S24. Here are 3 things I already like
Samsung Galaxy S24 in gray.

Samsung unveiled its next flagship smartphone line, the Galaxy S24, during the January Galaxy Unpacked event. This new lineup includes the base model S24, the larger S24 Plus, and the top-tier S24 Ultra. It’s one of the first big smartphone releases to kick things off for the new year.

I got my hands on the base Galaxy S24 and have been spending some time with it. Here are my (very positive) first impressions of the device so far.
The size is very similar to the S23

Read more