Samsung to fix Galaxy security flaw next week

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Samsung to fix Galaxy security flaw next week

Samsung Electronics said Friday it will release a software update for Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note10 smartphones next week as fingerprint scanners on those phones can be completely bypassed with a cheap silicone phone case.

The fingerprint reader on the latest phones released by the electronics giant can be unlocked with any thumb when they are covered with a wraparound gel cover sold on eBay for around $3.

As news spread about the security flaw, Samsung said Thursday that it is investigating the case and will soon distribute software upgrades to solve the problem.

In its latest statement issued Friday, Samsung advised users of the phones in question to “refrain from applying a silicone screen-protecting case to your device until a software update, which is planned to be released beginning next week, has been issued and applied.”

The company also added that users should delete all previous fingerprints and newly register their fingerprints while making sure all portions of the fingerprint, including the center, are scanned.

The specific day the update will be released was not revealed in the statement.

The company explained that the security issue involved the fingerprint sensors on the latest Galaxy devices incorrectly recognizing the 3-D pattern appearing on the inside of certain silicone screen-protecting cases as users’’ fingerprints.

BY KIM JEE-HEE [kim.jeehee@joongang.co.kr]
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