Re: Hacking USB Thumbdrives, Thumprint authentication

[pgut001 () cs auckland ac nz (Peter Gutmann)]

Jon McClintock <jammer () weak org> writes:

> - Nowhere on the site does it mention encryption. So yes, you could probably
>  crack the case and access the flash directly, most likely using off-the-
>  shelf electronics test equipment.

If they're like the smart cards with built-in fingerprint readers that were
being proposed a few years ago (none of them ever took off AFAIK) then all you
need to do is hotwire the connection between the sensor and the device for
which it enables access and you've bypassed the security.  In other words it's
a bit like a BIOS password, it'll keep casual snoopers out but no more.

Peter.