Break the iris scanner

Network security researchers have discovered how to copy human irises to bypass the most modern biometric security systems.

A common sight in films specializing in Hollywood's sophisticated criminals: a large-sized character who wants to open a vault or go into a place containing top-secret documents often undergoes security measures such as fingerprint scanning. , irises.

White hat hackers have been working hard for years to find security holes in biometric technology, from iris identification to voice. At the annual 2012 Black Hat Hackers Security Conference in Las Vegas (USA), top experts from around the world are evaluating the cyber-security battle that is constantly changing between black hat hackers and white hat, and one of the most interesting areas is biometrics. Among the most secure measures, of course, is the iris scanner, with the ability to identify about 5,000 different pieces of information on the human eye. However, white-hat hackers, represented by university experts, have demonstrated that they can unlock the security of this method without resorting to iris surgery like in science movies. Fiction Minority Report.

The method of scanning irises is not as secure as people think - (Photo: Shutterstock)

According to Forbes, Javier Galbally and his team of the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain), they deceived the iris scanner with fake images of human eyes. In the past, researchers have been able to reproduce the image of the iris, but have yet to convince that security scanner to be a true eye image. This time, Mr. Galbally went further when he faked his eyes, opening up a worrisome perspective on the safety of one of the most rigorous security tests available today.

According to Wired, Galbally and his team, including experts from West Virginia University (USA), tested the VeriEye pre-eyed fake image, a scanner manufactured by Nerotechnology and the best-selling form. on the market. The results show that up to 80% of these scanners have accepted the iris image that his team created is real. The weakness of this method is how security scanners save images of irises in the form of digital codes. And just get this information, experts can create fake images accepted by computers.

India has begun deploying digital identity systems, including iris scanners, for 1.2 billion people. Previous studies have also found other problems when using iris scanners. In it, a study found that these scanners may have trouble identifying a person's identity over time, because their irises are aging.