Subverting Fingerprinting 169
squizzar writes in with news of a 27 year old Chinese woman who was discovered to have had her fingerprints surgically swapped between hands in order to fool Japanese immigration. "It is Japan's first case of alleged biometric fraud, but police believe the practice may be widespread. ... The apparent ability of illegal migration networks to break through hi-tech controls suggests that other countries who fingerprint visitors could be equally vulnerable — not least the United States, according to BBC Asia analyst Andre Vornic." Time for some biometric escalation. Could iris scans be subverted as easily?
Shodan's retinal scanners can always be fooled (Score:2, Funny)
if you carry around a handy severed head.
Re:Shodan's retinal scanners can always be fooled (Score:5, Funny)
Re:long term identity subversion prevention (Score:4, Funny)
To rely on other electronic systems for that reset is flawed and misses the essential nature of how people understand and use interpersonal identity.
Not everyone likes their friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors. Some people have jobs that are highly mobile. Some people prefer not having attachments to others. There are individuals that don't have a community identity of any kind. Should a person be denied access to those resources simply on the basis that they have no friends?
Officer: "Well your honor, he hadn't committed any crimes but we noticed that he had no friends."
Judge: "Good enough for me! Anyone who has no friends is clearly a threat to society. Book 'em danno."
Officer: "Uh, yes sir. Who's Danno?"
Judge: "Nevermind, son. It was before your time."
Re:What about the disabled? (Score:4, Funny)
Yes, Darth Vader has been able to slip undetected into numerous Western democracies for this very reason.
Re:What about the disabled? (Score:3, Funny)
Gives a new meaning to... (Score:3, Funny)
I'm sure in all those scenarios what I'll be thinking is "OMG, My Data!"
Gives a new meaning to the term "thumb drive".
Re:Skip the prints and the eyes (Score:2, Funny)
Yea but that won't work on Americans.
Re:Woah (Score:5, Funny)
True story:
I worked at a video game developer once who had biometric finger scanners to clock in and out, but required you to type in your employee number first.
"If it has my fingerprint, shouldn't it know my employee number?"
So I started playing with it. I started with the same finger on the same hand. It took it. Then a different finger on the same hand. Yup. It took a different finger on a different hand. And then we got creative.
Someone Else's finger? Check. Elbow? Check. Toe? Check. Tongue? Check.
In fact, we finally found the limit of the system. It took a warm hot dog pressed up against the fingerprint scanner, but not a cold one. A lot of my faith in fingerprint biometrics was shattered then and there. I since dated someone who had a fingerprint scanner on her computer, though that only seemed to let me trough wrongly some of the time.
Another thing we learned? Co-workers don't appreciate it when you lick the thumb scanner that everyone has to clock in with.
Re:Did she fool anyone, though? (Score:5, Funny)
That always struck me as a little improbable. You mean you're just going to eat that thing right after you pressed it against a disgusting fingerprint scanner?
Time for some biometric escalation. (Score:1, Funny)
Hear, hear, I am eagerly waiting for my rectal probe at every immigration process...no jokes about my orientation, please.
Re:Watching 'Bladerunner' too many times? (Score:3, Funny)
"We're closer to a working release of Duke Nukem Forever than we are to eyeball transplants."
We have already made eyeball replacements. Low resolution, only 12x12px, and it transmits the signals to your brain via the tongue, BUT IT WORKS.
Duke's fucking late to the party, as always.
Re:Woah (Score:1, Funny)
But what about the eternal question:
Did it accept your johnson???
Re:Gives a new meaning to... (Score:4, Funny)
I don't want to see the keychain of a future burglar...