Hackers offered cash prize for cracking iPhone 5S fingerprint security

#istouchidhackedyet challenges hackers to lift fingerprints from phone 'like from a beer mug'

Hackers are being offered prizes to be the first to crack the iPhone 5S's fingerprint security feature as enthusiasts finally get their hands on that and Apple's other new smartphone, the iPhone 5C.

The contest, dubbed ‘Is touch ID hacked yet?' looks to test Apple's claim that the fingerprint security feature on the iPhone 5S keeps user data more secure than previous versions of the iPhone.

The idea, as stated on http://istouchidhackedyet.com/ is to reward the first person "who can reliably and repeatedly break into an iPhone 5s by lifting prints (like from a beer mug)"

‘Is touch ID hacked yet' organiser Nick Depetrillo, has raised some $13,000 in pledges to offer as prizes to the first hackers who can provide video evidence that they have defeated Apple's biometric security.

The crowdfunded prizes on offer, in addition to the cash, include alcohol, Bitcoins and an iPhone 5C.

Arturas Rosenbacher, entrepreneur and founder of venture capital firm I/O Capital Partners upped the stakes for the contest by adding $10,000 to the prize pile.

"On behalf of @IOCapital, we are pledging $10,000 to the #IsTouchIDHackedYet, and supporting this wonderful crowdsourced security campaign!" he tweeted.

Hackers regularly compete to see who can bypass security on new devices, but the cash prize on offer certainly ups the ante in the case of Apple's iPhone 5S.

Apple has introduced the fingerprint technology on the iPhone 5S in order to make security for the device more secure, as well as making it easier for the authorised user of the phone to access their information and purchase applications.

The idea is to encourage users to secure their devices through the simple use of a finger swipe over inputting multiple character passwords, something which many avoid, regarding it as an inconvenience.

Apple's new iOS 7 operating system has already been accused of skimping on security by failing to address the dangers of malicious applications.