03
Aug
face unlock

Android Jelly Bean's Face Unlock "Liveness Check" Circumvented With Simple Photo Editing

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Videos

If you're serious about security on your Android phone or tablet, you probably know that the Face Unlock feature introduced in Ice Cream Sandwich is a long way from secure. While Google didn't make any claims to the contrary, it looks like the extra "Liveness check" (which requires the user to blink after the initial scan) is almost as susceptible. A group of YouTube users demonstrated how to get past the check with a photo taken off of Facebook and just a few minutes of Photoshopping.

The technique is ridiculously easy: find a relatively clear photo of your mark, use a photo editor (Paint.NET in this case) to cover his or her eyes with their corresponding skin tone, and flash the original and modified images on a monitor.

29
Jun
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Jelly Bean's Face Unlock Asks You To Blink For The Camera, Locks Out After Several Failed Attempts

Posted by in Android OS, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

Face Unlock, a security feature introduced with Ice Cream Sandwich, while a fun concept, proved vulnerable to trickery. Specifically, the unlock method would recognize photos of your face as if they were your real face. Another issue with Face Unlock was that it ostensibly never locked users out after numerous failed attempts.

Looking to address these issues, Google did a bit of tweaking to Jelly Bean's Face Unlock. Namely, FU now features a "Liveness check" option which, as the name suggests, makes sure you're a real, live person before unlocking your device. It does this by asking the user to blink during facial recognition.

16
May
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Small OTA Update v9.2.1.24 Rolling Out To Transformer TF101 In U.S. And Canada, Brings Face Unlock, Additional Features, And Stability Enhancements

Posted by in Eee Pad Transformer, News

Hey all you OG Transformer owners - wanna unlock your tablet by looking at it? Better start hitting that 'System Updates' button, because ASUS just started pushing an OTA that will let you do just that. This update not only brings Face Unlock to the device, but a handful of other features and fixes:

  • Improves system stability
  • Improves Email App stability
  • Improves MyNet stability
  • Improves MyLibrary stability
  • Add System Bar Lock: Lock the system bar  when playing games  
  • Add Email App new feature: Email download size/Thread/Out of office notification/Mail Sync schedule

The update should be rolling out to all TF101's in the U.S.

16
Nov
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Still Not Convinced That Face Unlock Is Easily Fooled By A Photo? Here's Another Video Showing Face Programming And Photo Unlocking From Start To End

Posted by in Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Videos

One of the most interesting features in Ice Cream Sandwich is, without a doubt, the new Face Unlock that lets you unlock the phone using your face and the front-facing camera. Before we go any further, please read the following bullet points, as I'd like to clear a few things up:

  • The question of whether Face Unlock can be duped by a photo was raised by many almost immediately after the feature was announced, to which Google responded with "give us some credit".
  • The final verdict will be out only when we can test Face Unlock with actual production units - any results obtained before that are, well, preliminary.

18
Oct
10-18-2011-7-35-12-PM_thumb

Ice Cream Sandwich Feature Closer Look - Face Unlock Keeps Prying Eyes From Your Phone Like Never Before

Posted by in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

If you find PIN codes or gesture patterns too predictable to keep your phone secure, Ice Cream Sandwich has the ultimate solution: face unlock.

10-18-2011-7-35-12-PM_thumb

Face unlock utilizes your phone's front-facing camera to "recognize" your face. If anyone else looks into the camera, they will be denied access. Simple as that. Not only is this a nice option to have for everyday use, but I could imagine it being integrated into mobile security apps as well, ensuring that no one but you could get into your phone and see potentially sensitive data.

In tonight's demo, face unlock experienced quite a hiccup - it didn't recognize the face of the presenter, who was also the phone's owner.