"University Reveals New Biometric Security Threat"

Computer scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered a new threat posed by smartphones, smart doorbells, virtual assistants, and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices that can allow attackers to access and combine device identification with biometric information. The computer scientists collected and examined more than 30,000 biometric samples, such as facial images or voices, from over 50 users and over 100,000 different device IDs, like smartphone MAC addresses, in a month. They discovered that the leakage of identity information from different devices can allow attackers to profile users by matching device IDs with biometric information, posing a threat to the privacy and security of users. The computer scientists were able to de-anonymize most of the device IDs and collect device users' biometric information, using the samples, with a high accuracy rate. This article continues to discuss the new privacy issue of cross-modal identity leakage, the growth of IoT devices, the rise in sensors contained by such devices, and the importance of improving the security and privacy of IoT technology.

Planet Biometrics report "University Reveals New Biometric Security Threat"