Samsung confirms fingerprint security issues for all current flagships, promises imminent fix

Samsung this week came under fire for leaving its Galaxy S10 line open to attack by way of its ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. It was discovered that cheap screen protectors and TPU cases could cause the device to register false positives and unlock the device, even if the unlocking finger was not registered on the phone itself.

Samsung has now confirmed that the issue is not limited to the Galaxy S10, but also extends to the Note 10 and 10+ which also use the same ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The firm promises to resolve this with a software update which could hit your phones by next week, but in the meantime, users are advised to take off their screen protectors.

As per Samsung this morning:

To prevent any further issues, we advise that Galaxy Note10/10+ and S10/S10+/S10 5G users who use such covers to remove the cover, delete all previous fingerprints and newly register their fingerprints. If you currently use front screen protective covers, to ensure optimum fingerprint scanning, please refrain from using this cover until your device has been updated with a new software patch. A software update is planned to be released as early as next week, and once updated, please be sure to scan your fingerprint in its entirety, so that the all portions of your fingerprint, including the center and corners have been fully scanned.

While most people are unlikely to be hacked or attacked in this manner before the intervening update is made available, it may be wise to apply Samsung’s measures if you feel it would be personally necessary for you.