Hackers claim to have unlocked iPhone X’s Face ID with the help of mask

By: Hasnain Gakhar

Two weeks have passed, since Apple launched iPhone X, while the race between hackers to dodge its Face ID has finally come to an end. Apple announced on iPhone X debut that even Hollywood-quality masks cannot fool its security system. Regardlessly, security researchers at Bkav claim to have dodged Face ID by using a special mask.

Rather than striving hard to develop a software to break iPhone X’s Face ID, the team at Bkav built a special mask with the aim of tricking the depth-mapping technology. The mask uses a hand-crafted “skin” made specifically to fool Face ID, while 3D printing produced the face model. The nose was made by a handmade artist. Other parts, such as the eyes were made from 2D images. The proof of concept appears to work, as you can see in the video below. 

 The iPhone X has been trained for a real person’s face, however, the researchers used mask built by 3D and 2D images to unlock the phone which made the mask quite similar to a real face. The video shows Face ID working in one try, too, although it’s not clear, how many false attempts Bkav had before producing a mask that worked smoothly.

The security firm says it started working on the mask as soon as they got their iPhone X, from November 5th and completed this project in 5 days. It only required roughly $150 excluding 3D printer to make this mask.

 So, the question Apple’s consumers might be having in the mind right now: Is this a practical security concern? Not necessarily. Bkav affirmed that the efforts involved to make this mask are difficult to work for a normal user. If someone is so determined to get on your phone that they build a custom mask and have the opportunity to use it, then you must be a celebrity or a politician.
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