iPhone 5S Fingerprint Scanner 'Hacked' By German Group, Claims Touch ID Is Not Secured Enough

Most analysts and consumers would probably agree that the iPhone 5S fingerprint scanner is one of the primary selling points of Apple's newest flagship smartphone. While the 64-bit and A7 processors definitely look great on paper, consumers can only imagine how such specifications work. 

But when it comes to the famous Touch ID, it is all about security. 

However, for a German hacker group, this particular feature is just a 'gimmick' that consumers should not buy. And they even 'hacked' an iPhone 5S to prove it. 

Chaos Computer Club (CCC) posted on their website a video showing how they managed to unlock a Touch ID-secured iPhone 5S by using another material apart from the scanned finger. The group first took a high resolution (2400 dpi) snapshot of the fingerprint from a glass surface, cleaned up the image, and then printed it on a transparent latex sheet. 

The individual performing the 'hack' then placed the sheet on his middle finger and successfully unlocked the phone. 

According to the CCC's spokesperson, Frank Rieger, "We hope that this finally puts to rest the illusions people have about fingerprint biometrics. It is plain stupid to use something that you can´t change and that you leave everywhere every day as a security token."

"The public should no longer be fooled by the biometrics industry with false security claims. Biometrics is fundamentally a technology designed for oppression and control, not for securing everyday device access", he added.

Here is a video CCC posted on YouTube on how they did it.