Touch ID manipulated to unlock apps in new jailbreak hack

Jan 4, 2014 11:17 GMT  ·  By

Before iOS 7 could be jailbroken by end users, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor was strictly used for unlocking an iPhone 5s. Not anymore.

Thanks to the ingenuity of developers, the sensor can be manipulated into opening and closing many other sub-doors in Apple’s iOS. The most recent such jailbreak tweak comes from a developer identified as cjori on Twitter.

He’s been able to apply the principle “Hey, is this finger authenticated?” to third party apps, allowing users to lock and unlock certain apps with the phone’s fingerprint recognition system. The video embedded above explains it best, so go right ahead and hit the play button.

According to the developer, AppLocker doesn't pose any security risks because the hack doesn’t change the way fingerprints are used on the device.

“[The] data is still secure. All I’m doing is asking iOS ‘Hey, is this finger authenticated?’ and I get either a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No,’” he explains.

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