Experts Downplay Peace Sign Selfie Fingerprint Theft Risk, Citing Few Real-World Cases in 10 Years
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 1
Experts Downplay Peace Sign Selfie Fingerprint Theft Risk, Citing Few Real-World Cases in 10 Years
6 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jun 1
Cybersecurity experts said viral claims that hackers can steal fingerprints from peace sign selfies are technically plausible but pose little risk to most people today.
High-resolution images taken from just a few feet away could expose enough detail, but attackers would still need a strong reason, specialized effort and access to the physical scanner the print unlocks.
2014 cases showed the idea is possible: a hacker reportedly cloned Ursula von der Leyen's fingerprint from close-up photos, and Kraken researchers recreated one from a photographed print using common tools.
Experts said criminals are far more likely to target ordinary users through phishing, malware links and fake websites than try to weaponize selfie-derived fingerprints at scale.
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