Authentify Supports Samsung Galaxy S5 Fingerprint Reader

Out-of-band authentication provider Authentify announced on Wednesday at the FIDO Alliance Plenary Meeting its support for the Samsung Galaxy S5 fingerprint reader.

The move marks the fingerprint reader on the S5 being the first fingerprint device to be supported by Authentify.

At the FIDO meeting, Authentify CTO Andy Rolfe spoke about the role multiple biometrics will play in mobile commerce.

“Mobility has added a level of difficulty with regard to knowing your user or customer,” says Rolfe. “An end-user and a device can be almost anywhere. Ensuring the device is still in the hands of the same user is critical, and biometrics are the most reliable way to do so. We are able to handle a wide range of use cases and end-users employing multiple biometrics. The FIDO model has done a great deal to spur thinking around the use of multiple biometrics for some users.”

Rolfe seemed optimistic when it came to the topic of the widely reported successful hacks of both the S5 and Apple iPhone fingerprint sensors, explaining that in order to successfully hack a fingerprint reader with a gelatin model, one would need “access to both the phone and the end-user”.

“Most crimes committed online are remote, and the cybercriminals don’t have access to the end-user,” says Rolfe. “It’s a very labor intensive hack. Plus, both Apple and Samsung are working on improved ‘liveness’ detection to thwart spoofing via gelatin models.”

The Samsung Galaxy S5 fingerprint reader will be supported in release 3.5 of the Authentify xFA platform.

Article Topics

Authentify  |  biometrics  |  FIDO Alliance  |  mobile commerce  |  Samsung