A Look at security experts warn not to show this in your photos
Modern smartphones are equipped with extremely high-performance cameras. It seems unbelievable but a picture of your hands could have serious security implications if your fingerprints can be seen.
Fingerprints are an important biometric identifier. They can be used to unlock computers or smartphones – even though modern sensors check multiple features and are actually designed to prevent a device from being unlocked simply by capturing a fingerprint. Because of this risk, it’s important that you don’t post images that show your fingerprints, warms German public service broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk.
Pictures can fall into the wrong hands faster than you think. A typical hand gesture such as a thumbs-up, a peace sign or a victory sign, or simply a photo in which you wave at the camera, can reveal your fingerprints clearly enough. Once the photo has been published on social media, the digital or virtual dissemination of your fingerprints can’t be stopped.
Cybercriminals can now use AI to assist with image processing in order to reconstruct the exact fingerprints. So if the lighting conditions and perspective are right, and the images of your fingertips are high-resolution enough, fraudsters can use suitable software and AI to reconstruct even the tiniest lines of your fingerprints and then print out images.
And you’re not safe even if an image only contains partial data. Fraudsters can gather enough individual details from different photos to eventually reconstruct your fingerprints. So the more photos of your hands you post on social media, the greater the risk.
According to the South China Morning Post, Chinese security experts believe that fingerprints could be extracted from selfies taken from a distance of up to 1.5 metres, provided the fingers are pointing directly at the camera. Even at a distance of 1.5 to 3 metres, around half of the hand’s characteristics could still be reconstructed.
How to protect yourself
Never show your fingertips in photos. Cover them or black out the relevant areas in the photos before posting them.
In particular, avoid showing your hands and fingers in high-resolution frontal shots. Avoid posting any close-ups of your hands. You should also bear this in mind when holding something up to the camera to have it photographed.
On the other side of things, make sure you provide additional protection for particularly important access points, such as online banking, using PINs or two-factor authentication.
Read next: Here’s why i’m done with under-display fingerprint scanners.
