Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
08/12/2010
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
by Mathew J. Schwartz | InformationWeek
Fingerprints on smartphones, ATM and other devices can reveal passwords and other confidential data
Prepare for a new mobile security concern: the marks. Or, more precisely, the residual oils left by fingers on the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and other devices with touch screens. This can help trace malicious people to discover your password.
The message comes from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, who presented the study Tuesday at the Usenix conference analyzing the fact.
Based on the results, "the practice of entering sensitive information on touch screens require a more careful analysis," say the researchers. They warn that any device, including ATMs, PIN space for the devices on display in retail stores, among others, are susceptible to criminal actions.
Concern grows as the touchscreen devices become increasingly popular as an option for mobile computing. Gartner's data showed that 363 million touch-sensitive devices will be sold this year, a jump of 97% compared to last year. But the passwords typed in these devices are safe?
To answer this question, researchers studied two models Android, HTC G12 and Nexus One, evaluating different photography techniques to draw the marks left. In much of the analysis they viewed the brand altogether, but if the scammer has the device in hand, the action becomes even more effective.
Although the Android 2.2 supports alphanumeric passwords, the researchers tested only with numbers, as is the format used by most people.
Source: It Web
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.