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Fingerprints are impossible to change and can be brute-forced. Therefore, fingerprint security is less secure than a password that can be changed.

• coldtea 11y ago
  Brute forced with what? Trying different fingers?
  • dawnbreez 11y ago
    A fingerprint, like any piece of data, is handled at the lowest levels as a number. A number with some constraints, but a number. By feeding numbers into the scanner instead of fingers, you can accomplish the same effect as feeding random strings into a password box. Further, it's also possible to take fingerprints through social engineering, or by getting at the database of a company that uses fingerprints as security. Five bucks says someone's already storing a bunch of fingerprint data as plaintext.
    • coldtea 11y ago
      >By feeding numbers into the scanner instead of fingers, you can accomplish the same effect as feeding random strings into a password box. Isn't this exactly why they DON'T allow you to use the iPhone with a potentially tampered with HW/TouchID -- e.g. the very feature/issue we're discussing?
      • dawnbreez 11y ago
        Well, yes. I'd argue that fingerprints for security are just silly to begin with.