Samsung Galaxy S8 iris scanner, face recognition has a security flaw | Watch it being hacked

Samsung Galaxy S8’s iris scanner and face recognition has a security flaw which can be exploited by snoopers to get into a user’s device.

The Galalxy Unpacked event in New York saw the release of Samsung Galaxy S8 powered with its Bixby digital assistant and infinity display.

The Galaxy Unpacked event in New York saw the launch of Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ -- phones that come with iris scanner and face recognition.

However, the face unlock feature that makes use of the iris scanner and face recognition has a security flaw that may allow snoopers break into someone else's Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone.

Face unlock uses a consumer's iris scans to unlock the device but an user named Marcianophone in a video has showed that the Samsung Galaxy S8 device can be unlocked using the picture of the phone's user rendering the Face Unlock feature useless.

Watch the video here

The video shows Marcianophone present the photo of a user on his phone and flashed it at the Samsung Galaxy S8's front camera and in a few seconds after he moved the photo around, the phone unlocked.

Good news is that Samsung might have been aware of the flaw as it has not used the Face Unlock feature for its Samsung Pay application.

In terms of specifications and features, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ comes with Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage with an infinity near bezel-less quadHD display.

Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S8

Size: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm

Weight: 155 grammes

Water/dust resistance: IP68

Display: 5.8-inch QuadHD display (2960 x 1440 pixels resolution) with 570 pixels per inch (ppi)

Storage: 64 GB internal storage with microSD card support to 256GB

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with Exynos processor in international editions

Camera: 12-megapixel dual pixel camera with LED Flash, 8-megapixel front camera

Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat

Battery: 3,000 mAh battery with adaptive fast charging

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, USB-C, GPS, 4G and VoLTE support

Samsung Galaxy S8+

Size: 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm

Weight: 173 grammes

Water/dust resistance: IP68

Display: 6.2-inch QuadHD display (2960 x 1440 pixels resolution) with 529 pixels per inch (ppi)

Storage: 64 GB internal storage with microSD card support to 256GB

Memory: 4GB RAM

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with Exynos processor in international editions

Camera: 12-megapixel dual pixel camera with LED Flash, 8-megapixel front camera

Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, USB-C, GPS, 4G and VoLTE support

According to the company, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will retail for a price of $720 which is approximately ₹46,000. However, the India edition of the device which will come with an Exynos processor may retail somewhere between ₹46,000 to ₹50,000.