Samsung Galaxy S8’s Facial Recognition Feature Could Be Bypassed Using A Photo

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are just a few days old, but a flaw was recently discovered. It was discovered on the day of the launch when a registered user of the flagship placed his photo on the smartphone’s front-facing camera where the facial recognition feature is also found. The phone owner, after a few tries, successfully bypassed the lock screen.

The owner of Galaxy S8, MarcianoPhone, posted on YouTube the video of his attempts which was recorded at the launch of the flagship, MacRumors reports. The facial recognition feature was only added to the newly launched smartphone in February because the Seoul-based tech giant doubted how fast and reliable is the gadget’s iris scanning feature. There are some explanations behind why the feature was bypassed.

One reason why the facial recognition feature of the Galaxy S8 was bypassed with the use of the phone owner’s photo is fine-tuning is still needed by the software’s algorithm. Another reason, MacRumors explains, is that the camera that Samsung used rely on standard 2D facial recognition technology. Past trials have shown it is easy to trick the technology by using two-dimensional images.

Apple Insider points out that the biometric security features that Samsung used for the Galaxy S8 relies on image fingerprinting or similar methods to recognize the prominent features of a captured image. The techniques utilize complex algorithms to measure the shape, distances, and size between the eyes, mouth, and nose, plus other identifying features of the face. The tech website suggests that Samsung should have used the facial motion capture technology that detects if a target face is moving which improves the chance that images a device receive are a live human face instead of a photo or video.

After the video became viral, Samsung points out the facial recognition technology of the Galaxy S8 was not intended as a security feature. Rather, it is another was to go to the Home screen in lieu of using the “Slide to Unlock” feature, Forbes reports.