Tag Archives: security

How Easy Is It To Steal Your Fingerprints?

Let’s admit it, we’ve all taken pictures while making a peace sign or a thumbs up and sent it to a friend or decided to post it on Instagram, harmless, right? Well, you may have given all of your followers or your friend the password to your device without even knowing! Now many of our devices allow you to use your fingerprint as a way to unlock your phone, but your camera could allow others access your devices. Pictures taken from smartphones are so detailed that they can pick up your fingerprints! Although you may think that they can only notice the fingerprints when you take a selfie, you may want to think again. Your fingerprints can be retrieved from pictures that have been taken up to ten feet away.  

Image result for girl taking selfie

If you think that none of your followers could have the technology to steal your fingerprints, you may be frightened to hear it’s easier than you would think, I know I was. Professor Isao Echizen from Japan’s National Institute of Informatics explains that, “your fingerprint data can be recreated if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting,”. By compiling photos, or even just using one, thieves can recreate your fingerprints and hack into your devices, all they need is good lighting and a focus on your fingers. However, for me, the scariest part of stealing your fingerprints is that they, unlike passwords cannot be changed, we’re stuck with them forever! The thought that a harmless picture could give someone the password to all of my devices, forever, makes me think twice every time I go to make a peace sign or thumbs up in a picture. However, I think I’m just not going to do a peace sign or thumbs up in any picture I take, it’s not worth the risk. And just think about how easy it’ll be to steal your fingerprints in the future!

~Isabella

Roof-Top Dog Dangers

In San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, walking down the street is pretty normal, except for the constant sound of barking from up above. If you paused your walking and looked up, you would see dogs upon the roofs of many houses. Families in Mexico put their dogs on the roof of their home, so the dog can become a sort of watch dog, and look out over the street. Many people think families do this because they actually don’t have much room in their homes, which in some cases, is true, but for most these dogs serve as a sort of warning or alarm system.

Why do people need warnings and alarms? Why don’t they use another method instead of their pets? Isn’t this unsafe? What if the dogs fall off the roof? These are all questions that I personally have for people who make their dogs watch over the streets up on the rooftop. I think that this isn’t safe, and these dogs have a great risk for being injured. When some dogs see people or “intruders”, they bark and run around like crazy, which means that they could accidentally slip off the roof or jump off. In conclusion, leaving your dog on the roof to watch over your home is very dangerous and isn’t something that should be done.

~Jocelyn