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For some
time now, security experts have been hailing the “death of the password” and
advocating for alternative security systems – especially biometric systems like
fingerprint scanners. And when Apple unveiled that the new iPhone 5s included a
fingerprint scanner, it seemed it might be the beginning of the end for the
traditional password. Unfortunately, as German hacker Starbug was quick to
demonstrate, Apple’s new fingerprint scanner is hardly fool-proof.
With
relatively basic equipment, Starbug was able to beat Apple’s fingerprint
scanner only 48 hours after the new iPhone’s debut.
“It's very
easy. You basically can do it at home with inexpensive office equipment like an
image scanner, a laser printer, and a kit for etching PCBs. And it will only
take you a couple of hours. The techniques are actually several years old and
are readily available on the Internet,” Starbug said in an interview with Ars Technica.
Starbug
went on to explain the issues associated with mobile security.
Passwords
are no problem at all as long as they are long enough and someone had a look
into the algorithms [used to store them] and their implementation. In fact,
long, complex passwords, which can also be configured on iOS devices, offer a
sufficient level of security. The problem is finding the right balance between
convenience for the user and security. No normal person wants to be confronted
with a 20-character password every single time they want to do something on
their phone. On the other hand, today's smartphones contain a great amount of
personal data where many would say that even a four-digit [PIN] is also
insufficient.
Of course,
there are other biometric options like iris scanners and voice recognition
systems in development that don’t depend on fingerprints and many experts
believe these might offer a substantial boost in security.
However,
biometric security also poses problems outside of reliability. When your
password is cracked, users only need to create a new one to regain security.
Biometrics, on the other hand, are effectively impossible to alter, so if
someone finds a way to crack your security, creating a new scheme could be
potentially complicated.
For a
while now, we’ve been pushing the point that we can no longer trust established
businesses and institutions to properly safeguard our data. If you doubted us,
here’s some more evidence.
News
broke last Thursday that a Vodafone server in Germany was hacked and the names,
addresses, birth dates and bank account numbers of approximately 2 million
customers have been exposed.
According
to the latest statement from Vodafone (in German), it appears hackers were unable to
access other sensitive details like passwords and credit card numbers, but the
information that was exposed should
certainly be cause for concern.
As
Vodafone explained in their (translated) statement, "It is virtually
impossible to use the data to get direct access to the bank accounts of those
affected." And that’s true. It is also true, however, that the leaked
information could be enough to distribute very convincing, but fraudulent
phishing emails and phone calls that encourage customers to hand over key
access information like passwords that could ultimately give hackers full
access to bank accounts.
The
exact timing of the attack has not yet been made public, but the German branch
of Vodafone said police have identified a suspect and began notifying customers
on Thursday that their information may have been compromised.
Sadly,
this is the type of attack that is very difficult for the end user to prevent.
But it should also act as a reminder that our digital security is constantly
exposed to very real and potentially damaging threats. If you aren’t yet taking
practical measures to safeguard your personal data, it’s time to start.
Just over a week ago, we warned you about putting all your digital eggs in one service provider's basket. This week, the universe decided to back up our argument as cyber-scammers unleashed a large-scale phishing attack that pretended to be a "Secure Document" sent through Google Docs.
The email reads:
Hello, A Secure Document was sent to you by your financial institute using Google Docs. Follow the link below to visit Google Docs webpage to view your Document Follow Here. The Document is said to be important. Regards. Happy Emailing, The Gmail Team Readers who click the link in the email are taken to a fraudulent Google login page that's actually hosted in Thailand. The page asks users to input their email address and password. Bonus: according to the fake login page, Google Docs now supports users from other email providers including Yahoo!, AOL, Hotmail, and others; so phishees can feel free to submit any email address they might have. Unfortunately, as the Sophos researchers who discovered the attack put it, filling out the form "can only end in tears." Remember, falling for an attack like this doesn't just put your email at risk. Many services including online banking use your email address to verify your identity when you forget your password or username, so in many instances, unauthorized email access can put other data in jeopardy. Furthermore, as we previously mentioned, many users treat Google as a hub for their digital content with services like Google Docs and Google Calendar. If you have sensitive data in either of these services, you've just been compromised.
