When Apple unveils its new iPhone models Tuesday, one particularly persistent rumor may come true - that at least one model of the new hardware will feature a built-in fingerprint scanner.
Apple is expected to introduce two models - one a cheaper 5C model, and one a premium 5S model. A leaked image of a sensor hints that the 5S at least may offer biometric fingerprint security built into its home button, according to Slashgear.
A convincing-looking photograph showing the leaked part was acquired by Sonny Dickson, an Australian blogger who has previously found reliable information on upcoming Apple products. Dickson is known for contacts in Apple’s Chinese supply chain, and for finding hints inside beta code. Dickson said in a previous interview with Reuters that he relied on five to ten assembly line workers who sold images of parts to his contacts for up to $250 each.
Experts have said that the part appears to be “real”. Leaks from other mobile firms such as HTC suggest that top-end Android models could soon offer fingerprint authentication built into the hardware.
Apple also filed for a European patent for a combination fingerprint sensor and near-field-communications chip this week, according to MacRumors, with a patent for “A touch sensor or fingerprint sensor may have an array of conductive electrodes for gathering sensor data from [...] aa button in an electronic device.”
ESET Senior Research Fellow David Harley discusses the advantages of biometric systems in a We Live Security blog post, “The sad fact is, static passwords are a superficially cheap but conceptually unsatisfactory solution to a very difficult problem, especially if they aren’t protected by supplementary techniques. Biometrics and one-time passwords and tokens are much more secure, especially when implemented in hardware as a two-factor authentication measure.”
The new piece of equipment, according to Philip Smith, former CFO of authentication firm UPEK, which invented similar systems for PCs. Speaking to SlashGear, Smith said that he had no doubt that the part was authentic.
“This is real,” Smith said. “The silicon sensor is the teeny blob in the light colored disk. The black square connected to it is the co-processor that goes with the fingerprint sensor to process the fingerprint data pulled, comparing it to the data stored that will identify you as the authorized user, thereby unlocking (or denying if it is not you). It also provides the access security separate from the main phone processor, reducing the ability for it to be hacked.
“This was a big deal when we (UPEK, the inventors of this in the early 2000′s) introduced it for PC’s. Our competitor, Authentec, did this processing on the main PC Intel processor – which was totally open to being hacked. Authentec went public, bought UPEK and then sold itself to Apple.”
