touch ID is the name given by Apple to the system that uses a fingerprint reader and our fingerprints to unlock our terminals iPhone 5S and allow downloads/purchases from iTunes Store. Considering everyone's fears about the possibility of fingerprint images reaching Apple's servers and then those of federal government organizations, or hackers' servers, a spokesperson for Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), he clarified the things. According to it, iPhone 5S si iOS 7 it does not store images of our fingerprints, but only information about the fingerprint, which is encrypted and stored inside the iPhone terminal processor.
Apple's new iPhone 5S, which comes with a fingerprint scanner, won't store actual images of users' fingerprints on the device, a company spokesman confirmed Wednesday, a decision that could ease concerns from privacy hawks. Rather, Apple's new Touch ID system only stores "fingerprint data," which remains encrypted within the iPhone's processor, a company representative said Wednesday. The phone then uses the digital signature to unlock itself or make purchases in Apple's iTunes, iBooks or App stores. In practice, this means that even if someone cracked an iPhone's encrypted chip, they likely wouldn't be able to reverse engineer someone's fingerprint.
Based on these data and a signature associated with them, the iPhone unlocks when our finger is placed over the fingerprint reader and allows us to make purchases. More than that, Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), asks us to set a security code as a backup, so that it must be entered if the terminal has been reset or if it has not been unlocked for more than 48 hours. This additional security measure is intended to provide additional protection in case a thief gains access to the device, Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), saying that, even if the chip that stores the data is broken, a hacker would not be able to reconstruct the user's fingerprint.
An Apple spokesperson pointed to other security features the company has added to the phone. Apple customers who wish to use Touch ID also have to create a passcode as a backup. Only that passcode (not a finger) can unlock the phone if the phone is rebooted or hasn't been unlocked for 48 hours. This feature is meant to block hackers from stalling for time as they try to find a way to circumvent the fingerprint scanner.
These explanations are intended to reassure users and to assure them that their data is safe in the terminals and is not transmitted somewhere, but it remains to be seen how many will complain about this. Apart from security, the Apple spokesperson stated that this fingerprint reader is not perfect and that there could be problems of use, and those who have already tested the terminal say that wet or oily fingers are not so easily recognized, a perfectly normal thing. If you have gone through a fingerprinting process so far, then you know that any oily finger cannot be recognized easily, so be careful to wipe your fingerprint before use.
