Samsung rushes out fix for Galaxy S10 fingerprint security flaw

Fingerprint security flaw fix too late to stop NatWest and Nationwide withdrawing support in their mobile banking apps

Samsung has rushed out a fix for the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 fingerprint security flaw that enabled anyone to unlock the devices if they were covered with particular third-party screen protectors.

The security flaw was first uncovered last week, and found to affect all the latest high-end Samsung smartphones bearing an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint reader. That is to say, the Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+, S10, S10+, and S10 5G models. The Galaxy Note Fold is not affected.

At the time, Samsung promised a speedy fix for the flaw, which led to major financial institutions, such as Natwest and Nationwide, barring the use of the fingerprint scanner as a form of authentication for their mobile banking apps.

Now, according to Android Central, the company is rolling out an update to handsets in South Korea, with Samsung promising that a patch will be available globally within the next 24 hours.

The company has pushed a notification to users of glitch-ridden devices that warns: "If you've used a screen cover, such as a silicone cover with a texture on the inside, the texture itself may be recognised as a fingerprint than can unlock your phone."

Samsung has also instructed users who use a silicon screen protector to delete any previous fingerprints they had previously registered to the device once the update has been installed. It's also, urging users to refrain from using silicon-based screen protectors in future, which seems to indicate an ongoing problem.

In the note, Samsung adds that "it takes the security of our products very seriously" and that it will "strive to continually test and improve our biometric authentication features through further updates".

However, it remains to be seen whether NatWest and Nationwide will restore support for fingerprint authentication following last week's revelation.

"We've removed the app from the Play Store with customers with Samsung S10 devices," a NatWest spokesperson said in a message sent to affected users. "This is due to reports that there are security concerns regarding these devices. We hope to have our app available again once the issue has been resolved."

Earlier today, it was reported that Samsung Semiconductor has unveiled its latest system-on-a-chip that is expected to power the forthcoming Galaxy S11, expected in the first quarter of 2020.