Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner hacked with glue mould

The fingerprint sensor on Samsung's Galaxy S5 handset has been hacked less than a week after the device went on
sale. Berlin-based Security Research Labs fooled the equipment using a mould it had previously created to spoof the sensor on Apple's iPhone 5S. The researchers said they were concerned that thieves could exploit the flaw in Samsung's device to trigger money transfers via PayPal. The payments firm played down the risk. "While we take the findings from Security Research Labs [SRL] very seriously, we are still confident that fingerprint authentication offers an easier and more secure way to pay on mobile devices than passwords or credit cards," it said. It added that even if users were hacked it would cover their losses.
SRL created its hack by lifting a real fingerprint from a smartphone screen and then carrying out a fairly elaborate
process to create a mould out of glue and graphite spray. This was then swiped across the sensor that sits in the phone's home button.