According to researchers at FireEye, it is now official that you may not be the only person swiping fingers on your Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone.
It is possible that there are other third parties who may be swiping their fingers on your Galaxy S5 too, possibly criminals. It is thought that this occurrence is not just affecting those on Samsung Galaxy S5, but a lot of those using Android devices.
You may be wondering how this is possible despite the fact that the fingerprint data is secured in the Android device. Well, it happens because the biometric scanner is still exposed even if the data is stored in a secure storage. If the cybercriminal has the right access, it is possible for him or her to get in the middle of everything and siphon off all scans while still in transit. This is something that happens in a jiffy and in the background; as a result, you may never get to know this is happening.
Being resident malware, it does all the dirty tricks from behind the scenes. Criminals will then get hold of your fingerprints and, you must be aware of what these individuals are capable of. They easily create an image of your fingerprint from the interception they make and after that, they can do whatever they feel like. Isn’t that scary? Well, it would be extremely scary if it were not for a few warnings.
How to take care of this problem
The above issues started showing up with the previously installed Android 4.4.4 KitKat. However, it was taken care of in the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop. At the moment, this OS is on more than 10% of all Android devices and if your carrier has rolled out an Android Lollipop update, you have nothing to worry about these hackers stealing your fingerprints.
The researchers at FireEye argue that for the cybercriminal to be able to steal your fingerprints, they must access the kernel. This means that those in great danger of their fingerprints being taken are the ones using a rooted Samsung Galaxy S5. This easily gives the criminal access to the kernel, which then allows him/her to run malicious codes and malware programs that steal your fingerprints. Furthermore, the chances of being infected with this malware are very slim if you use apps from the Google Play Store.
Samsung is still looking into this matter and nothing that has been confirmed just yet. Keep following us for more details as they unfold.
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