Smartphone facial recognition can be unlocked with a photo

SMARTPHONE facial recognition technology can be unlocked by using a printed photograph, a consumer watchdog has found.

The consumer group Which? warned that the flaw in “face unlock systems” on many brands of phones could be exploited by criminals to unlock the screen and steal personal information.

It tested 48 new smartphones in lab conditions, of which 19 could be tricked with a photo to get through the lock screen and access the phone.

It found some of the photos – of the user whose real-life image was registered with the device – unlocked the phones even though they were not high resolution and were printed by a standard office printer on normal, rather than photographic, paper. Most of the phones that failed the tests were at the cheaper to mid-range end of the market, such as the Motorola Moto E13, which sells for £89.99.

Xiaomi had seven phones that could

‘That phones can be unlocked in this way needs to be a wake-up call to manufacturers’

be exploited, while Motorola had four. Nokia, Oppo and Samsung had two apiece, and Honor and Vivo had one affected model each.

Which? said the trick could allow hackers access to confidential data, such as information in the Google Wal- let app, which stores bank card data.

Banks told the watchdog they are trying to counter such risks by employing additional requirements or authentication measures for higher risk actions.

Which? said “this needs to be a wakeup call for manufacturers”.

All the Apple phones Which? tested passed the spoofing tests. Nokia said its affected phones had facial recognition software that did not have privileges in third-party apps. Samsung said its fingerprint reader was its highest level of authentication. Vivo said it told customers that facial recognition was less secure than other locks they offer.

Honor, Motorola, Oppo and Xiaomi have been contacted but had not responded by the time of the publication of the Which? report.