No, A Severed Finger Will Not Be Able to Access a Stolen iPhone 5S

The introduction of the iPhone 5S and its easy to use fingerprint verification button has suddenly pushed biometric security into the mainstream. But for those with a little imagination, there are now concerns that smartphone thieves might soon resort to physically removing a person’s finger in order to gain access to a stolen device.

More broadly, some of the immediate concerns from the Apple community ranged from fears that, based on recent government surveillance revelations, the government might now collect all iPhone user fingerprints, to the notion that a person’s fingerprint might be lifted from a surface and used to hack into the device. Read more...