You might want to keep your peace sign selfies to a minimum, because a team of researchers has managed to recreate people’s fingerprints from their photos.
Scientists from Japan’s National Institute of Informatics (NII) showed it was possible to recreate fingerprints from photographs even when the subject was three metres from the camera.
Worryingly, con artists wouldn’t even need advanced technology to do it, as long as the picture was clear and well-lit.
“Just by casually making a peace sign in front of a camera, fingerprints can become widely available,” Professor Isao Echizen, a researcher at the NII, told the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun.
Biometric data from fingerprints and irises is commonly used to unlock phones and add a layer of security to passports, but unlike traditional passwords they can’t be changed.
Stolen biometric data could be sold on the web without your knowledge, and would compromise your security for the rest of your life.
This is a particular risk in Japan, where the government has just introduced credit card-linked fingerprint payments in shops.
Professor Echizen’s team are working on a titanium oxide film that covers fingertips and doesn’t allow them to be photographed but doesn’t stop them being used as a key.
Another preventative measure being developed is a biometric sensor that can detect a heartbeat and analyse tissue beneath the skin.