Touch ID returns for new iPhone SE as OnePlus fingerprint biometric vulnerability found and patched

Even a deadly pandemic has not prevented Apple from launching a new iPhone, the second-generation iPhone SE, which includes Touch ID fingerprint biometrics integrated with a front-mounted home button instead of Face ID facial recognition.

The new smartphone retails for a suggested $399, and features an A13 Bionic chip, which is used in other iPhones and the company calls the fastest in such a device, and a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, which is among the smallest Apple has released.

There are few differences between the appearance of the iPhone SE and an iPhone 8, the Wall Street Journal writes.

The iPhone SE includes a rear camera with high-quality video capture, according to the company’s announcement, but the Journal reports it has generally more modest camera specifications than higher-end iPhones.

According to the Journal, a new line of iPhones slated for a fall release will feature a new design and 5G connectivity.

OnePlus biometric data vulnerability reported

OnePlus 7 Pro Android phones have a vulnerability which allows an attacker with root privileges to exfiltrate bitmap fingerprint images from the device’s Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), according to a blog post from the Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center’s (CyRC).

Vulnerability CVE-2020-7958 makes images from the fingerprint sensor of the OnePlus 7, which should only be accessible in the TEE, available from the Rich Execution Environment (REE). The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 overall score of 6.6, which places it near the high end of the medium severity rating.

An attacker gaining root privileges in the REE can communicate directly with factory testing APIs exposed by Trusted Applications running in the TEE, CyRC explains, enabling a sequence of commands to expose the biometric data.

OnePlus addressed the vulnerability with the 10.0.3.GM21BA software build, which all users should update their devices to.

Article Topics

Apple  |  biometric data  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint readers  |  fingerprint sensors  |  smartphones  |  Touch ID  |  trusted execution environment