He lost a finger in a work accident and now he uses it to unlock his cell phone

The introduction of fingerprint cell phone unlocking has revolutionized the way we access our computers. Thanks to this technology, there is no need to remember passwords, access is faster and security has been increased. However, a man succeeded in breaking the system with the help of a finger which he lost in a work accident.

This curious affair began in April when Kieran Higgins, a 56-year-old Englishman currently living in Spain, lost the tip of my index finger have an accident with a crane at work. In pain, he went to a pharmacy for help, where they wrapped the wound with gauze and recommended that he go to the hospital.

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After traveling 20 kilometers, Higgins arrived at a medical center where he was able to receive appropriate treatment. His finger was disinfected and he was given antibiotics. Unfortunately doctors could not sew the amputated part because it was badly damaged and the reimplantation deadline had already passed.

To verify the veracity of the story, the site The register coordinated a virtual meeting with Higgins. The man he managed to repeatedly show how he unlocked his cell phone with his amputated finger which is completely white. In addition, he explained that he placed his finger in a bottle of alcohol to keep it in case he needed any evidence to present to the labor insurer.

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The unlocked cell phone model with the amputated finger is a Samsung Galaxy A20 and the company has not responded to contact made by reporters on whether it is possible to breach the security of unlocking with biometric data using this technique. unusual.

French Lucas, an expert in biometric devices, explained to The register that in this case there is no technical problem. As the finger used to unlock the phone is the same as the one used in registering the model, the system did not fail, it worked as established.

However, it’s natural to wonder if the devices can tell the difference between swiping a live or dead finger. Francese clarified: “The standard terminology on the market is ‘Lifeless finger detection’, which stops false fingers, such as rubber or jelly ones, but let real fingers, alive or dead, work ”.

Currently there is no technology implemented in commercial cell phones that can detect whether the fingers are alive or not. However, there is an artificial intelligence-based program that could work if an amputated finger is used. If Higgins purchases a device with this level of security in the future, he will not be able to enter that way.