Anyone can fingerprint unlock a Galaxy S10—just grab a clear phone case

• The Samsung Galaxy S10. [credit: Ron Amadeo ]

Samsung is once again in hot water for a shoddy biometrics implementation. This time the culprit is the Galaxy S10 and its ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint reader, which apparently can be unlocked by anyone as long as there is a screen protector or some other piece of transparent plastic between a finger and the sensor.

British tabloid newspaper The Sun originally reported the news, saying a British woman discovered she could unlock her husband's phone just by adding "a £2.70 screen protector bought on eBay." After reporting the issue to Samsung, the couple says Samsung "admitted it looked like a security breach," and a spokesperson told The Sun, “We’re investigating this internally. We recommend all customers to use Samsung authorised accessories, specifically designed for Samsung products.”

Days later when the BBC picked up the story and contacted Samsung again, the company said it is "aware of the case of S10's malfunctioning fingerprint recognition and will soon issue a software patch."