Researchers from China and the US found that the sound of phone swiping can reveal users’ fingerprints. Essentially, they used an attack scenario on the minutiae-based Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), called PrintListener. This experiment used the sounds made by users’ fingerprint friction while they were using social media or other apps on their phones.
Some ways to prevent such attacks would be to swipe phones while making video or audio calls or use screen protectors with glossy surfaces, which are proven to have a weaker sound.
