AI Systems Extract Fingerprints From Hand Photos
Security experts reported that AI systems can extract fingerprint data from photographs showing people's hands, particularly when making hand gestures near cameras. The reconstructed fingerprints can be reproduced using cloning technology to defeat biometric authentication systems and potentially enable identity fraud and unauthorized access.
What happened
Cybersecurity experts demonstrated that AI systems can extract fingerprint data from photographs showing people making hand gestures, particularly the 'V' sign with two fingers held near a camera lens.
The process involves using image editing programs combined with AI-based enhancement tools to increase the definition of details visible on fingertips in photographs, thereby reconstructing fingerprint ridge patterns.
Professor Jing Jiwu of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences stated that with the proliferation of high-definition cameras, it has become technically possible to reconstruct detailed information about hands, including fingerprints, using only the 'V pose' in photographs.
Reported impact
Extracted biometric data could be used for identity spoofing or to access systems requiring fingerprint authentication.
Physical reproductions of fingerprints can be created using DTF technology, which prints fingerprints onto transparent film that deceives conventional biometric readers used in access control systems.
Photographs taken in public settings such as sporting events or social gatherings can become sources of vulnerability if they show multiple people, as AI can classify each individual and extract their biometric traits with mathematical precision.
Index analysis
The threat emerges from the combination of high-resolution cameras now common in consumer devices and AI's capability to enhance and analyze image details beyond human perception.
The vulnerability affects any person whose photographs showing bare fingertips are shared on social media or appear in public images, regardless of whether they intended to expose this data.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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