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Stolen fingerprints could spell the end of biometric security – here’s how to save it


The biggest known biometric data breach to date was reported recently when researchers managed to access a 23-gigabyte database of more than 27.8m records including fingerprint and facial recognition data. The researchers, working with cyber-security firm VPNMentor, said that they had been able to access the Biostar 2 biometrics lock system that manages access to secure facilities like warehouses or office buildings. This control mechanism, run by the firm Suprema, is reportedly part of a system used by 5,700 organizations in 83 countries, including governments, banks and the UK’s Metropolitan Police. This breach highlights a major problem with biometric security…

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