New Samsung phone fingerprint scanners can be fooled by screen protectors AGAIN

SAMSUNG Galaxy Note 20 phones are said to have a security vulnerability with their fingerprint scanners.

Reports claim the phone range has the same vulnerability as the 2019 Note lineup that saw its scanners fooled by screen protectors.

Some people who had a screen protector on their Galaxy Note 10 complained that basically anyone could open it with any fingerprint.

Samsung later released a fix and blamed third party screen protectors.

It now appears history has repeated itself with the Note 20.

Samsung’s January 2021 security patch revealed the flaw to anyone that may not have noticed.

The problem didn’t actually cause as much of a stir as the 2019 issue and was privately reported to Samsung in October.

Samsung said: “An abnormal behavior related with screen protector results in high FRR of fingerprint identification.

“The patch adds proper image compensation to avoid inversion for fingerprint enrollment with screen protector.”

Fortunately, the security patch is rolling out now.

However, it might not be rolling out to all Samsung phones across the globe right away.

It’s advisable to always update your phone to the latest software so any security patches can be applied.

Here’s what you need to know…

Samsung is a major South Korean company made up of many businesses that operate globally
It’s known locally as a “chaebol”, which means “business conglomerate”
It was founded by Lee Byung-chul in 1938 as a trading company
But over several decades, it branched out into food processing, insurance, textiles and retail
It wasn’t until the late 1960s when Samsung entered the electronics industry – for which it’s best known in the west today
It also launched businesses in construction and shipbuilding in the 1970s
Today, Samsung’s most important sources of income are its smartphones and computer chips
The firm accounts for around a fifth of South Korea’s total exports, and roughly 17% of the country’s GDP
More than 320,000 staff are employed by Samsung globally
And in 2017, Samsung turned over the equivalent of £174billion today in revenue