You Can Easily Beat iPhone X Face ID Using This 3D-Printed Mask

When it launched the iPhone X, Apple said that the company has worked with professional mask makers and Hollywood makeup artists. It was to make sure their facial recognition tech doesn’t fail when someone attempts to beat it.

But it seems, the Face ID tech isn’t as fool-proof as one might assume after listening to Apple. It’s not a big deal for your evil twin brother or sister to use their face to unlock your iPhone X.

The researchers from a Vietnam-based security firm Bkav have taken an effective approach to bypass Face ID tech which uses 3D depth sensing to analyze the facial structure of a user.

Bkav’s custom mask is a mix of 3D printing with special processing done around cheeks and around the face. The nose and skin used for the mask are hand-made by a human artist. All of this was done to fool Apple’s AI-powered Face ID tech. Bkav said that they also kept the fact in the mind that the AI that powers Face ID learns over time.

Also, designing the mask is easier, if one is a security professional. It requires the knowledge of how Apple’s Face ID and the neural network behind it works, according to the firm.

It took them around a week’s time, after they got their iPhone X on November 5, to come with their version of the Face ID bypass. Bkav had to spend around $150 while creating the mask.

Similar attempts have been made by others including Wired Magazine and Wall Street Journal. But Bkav has demoed the first successful one, falsifying Apple’s claim that a mask can’t be used to spoof Face ID. However, the mask is currently a proof-of-spoof and more research is required.

Bkav concludes that facial recognition is still “not mature enough to guarantee security for computers and smartphone.” This is after 10 years since the Bkav first demonstrated the insecure nature facial recognition tech present in different laptops.

You can read more about Face ID bypass in Bkav’s Q&A.