Fingerprint-Protected USB Sticks Cracked

jmke · 16th March 2008, 13:39

Manufacturers of USB sticks and cards with fingerprint readers promise us that their data safes can only be opened with the right fingerprint. In their tests, heise Security found that it is easy to bypass the authentication and get access to the protected data. This works by sending a single USB command, using the open source tool PLscsi, that changes the accessible partition. They found the vulnerability in several USB sticks that use the same chipset. The article concludes: 'The fingerprint sensors in the products mentioned above apparently only serve one purpose: they mislead interested buyers. They do not provide any significant level of protection. We can only recommend that these products not be purchased.'

http://www.heise-online.co.uk/security/features/110280

16th March 2008, 13:39	#1
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,021	Fingerprint-Protected USB Sticks Cracked Manufacturers of USB sticks and cards with fingerprint readers promise us that their data safes can only be opened with the right fingerprint. In their tests, heise Security found that it is easy to bypass the authentication and get access to the protected data. This works by sending a single USB command, using the open source tool PLscsi, that changes the accessible partition. They found the vulnerability in several USB sticks that use the same chipset. The article concludes: 'The fingerprint sensors in the products mentioned above apparently only serve one purpose: they mislead interested buyers. They do not provide any significant level of protection. We can only recommend that these products not be purchased.' http://www.heise-online.co.uk/security/features/110280 __________________

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
ASUS Leads the Way for True USB 3.0 Integration in Complete Product Line	jmke	WebNews	0	23rd March 2010 12:18
USB 3.0 Controller Running Hot, Issues with USB Sticks	jmke	WebNews	0	16th March 2010 16:03
USB-IF Certifies Multiple GIGABYTE SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Motherboards	jmke	WebNews	0	3rd March 2010 08:45
Super Talent Announces Volume Shipment of Highly Anticipated USB 3.0 RAIDDrive	jmke	WebNews	0	7th January 2010 10:01
GIGABYTE Launches Industry’s First USB 3.0, SATA 6Gbps Solution on AMD Platform	jmke	WebNews	0	26th November 2009 09:13
Super Talent Announces World's First USB 3.0 RAIDDrive	jmke	WebNews	0	4th November 2009 10:45
20 USB Sticks Compared	jmke	WebNews	0	3rd April 2008 12:41
Firm Sells USB Memory Sticks for $3500	jmke	WebNews	0	6th March 2006 14:24