The Vietnamese security company Bkav says that a prototype mask costing $150 can reliably defeat Apple’s Face ID authentication system. However, the company (which has a good track record for defeating facial recognition systems) has not released technical details for the defeat and says that it was able to accomplish the task “Because… we are the leading cyber security firm ;).”
The mask combines 3D printed elements, a silicone nose, makeup, 2D images, and “special processing” on the cheeks.
A: The 1st point is, everything went much more easily than you expect. You can try it out with your own iPhone X, the phone shall recognize you even when you cover a half of your face. It means the recognition mechanism is not as strict as you think, Apple seems to rely too much on Face ID’s AI. We just need a half face to create the mask. It was even simpler than we ourselves had thought.Apple has done this not so well. I remember reading an article on Mashable, in which Apple told that iPhone X had been planned to be rolled out in 2018, but the company then decided to release it one year earlier. This shows that they haven’t carried out scientific and serious estimation before deciding to replace Touch ID with Face ID.
Face ID beaten by mask, not an effective security measure
[Bkav]
This $150 mask beat Face ID on the iPhone X
[Thuy Ong/The Verge]