3D print created using fingerprint left on a glass

Apr 5, 2019 09:06 GMT  ·  By
The redditor took a photo of a fingerprint on a wine glass to create a 3D model
   The redditor took a photo of a fingerprint on a wine glass to create a 3D model

Samsung Galaxy S10 comes with an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that’s directly embedded into the glass, an approach which the South Korean phone maker says is not only convenient, but also super-secure.

And while I already discussed the convenience factor in my Galaxy S10 review here, the security claim has recently been challenged by redditor darkshark9, who wanted to see just how easy it is to beat the fingerprint sensor.

And as it turns out, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes, and it all comes down to a method that basically exposes anyone using a Galaxy S10 to such hacks.

First and foremost, the redditor explains they used a fingerprint left on a wine glass, which they eventually used to build a 3D model.

“I used my smartphone to take this picture, but it's certainly not out of the question to use a long focal length DSLR camera to snag a fingerprint image from across a room... or further,” darkshark9 explains.

Fingerprint model printed in 13 minutes

Then, the digital copy of the fingerprint was loaded into Photoshop to increase the contrast and create an alpha mask, while 3ds Max was used for a geometry displacement and the creation of a 3D model.

“I popped that model into the 3D printing software and began to print it. This was printed using an AnyCubic Photon LCD resin printer, which is accurate down to about 10 microns (in Z height, 45 microns in x/y), which is more than enough detail to capture all of the ridges in a fingerprint,” the redditor notes.

It took only 13 minutes to create the 3D-printed copy of the fingerprint, which was then used to successfully unlock the Galaxy S10 (you can see the device authorizing the scan in the video below).

Samsung hasn’t commented on this successful hack of its device, and there’s a high chance the company would remain tight-lipped for now. But what it should do, however, is to further refine the software powering the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, as this method shows that pretty much anyone with a Galaxy S10 can be hacked in a matter of minutes.