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Apple Touch ID - am I missing something here?
Twmbarlwm
02-05-2016
Hi all

I suspect I'm being a numpty and missing the obvious, but here goes. I have spent some time searching for answers online before bothering you, honest!

I've been beefing up my security on my phone and mac recently. I decided to enable Touch ID on my iphone 6. I assumed that this would offer me another layer of security and make it harder for people to access my phone.

However, I was surprised to see that I can still just swipe and enter my 4-digit passcode. I get that ID touch is quicker and that a passcode is still needed for various circumstances. I can now see that if you needed to both have a fingerprint recognised, then enter a password, it would cause huge problems if the fingerprint element wasn't working.

It seems to me then, that it's really more of a convienence measure than a security measure. If I can just swipe the screen and enter a passcode, how is ID touch benefitting me from a security point of view?

I must be missing something really obvious here. If anyone could show me why I'm being daft, I'd be grateful.



Si
bikerlad
02-05-2016
It's fairly easy to see someone's passcode as they enter it, so if you never input it around anyone else, they'll never know it, so your finger is allowing quicker access and no one can see a passcode being entered.
d123
02-05-2016
Originally Posted by Twmbarlwm:
“
I've been beefing up my security on my phone and mac recently. I decided to enable Touch ID on my iphone 6. I assumed that this would offer me another layer of security and make it harder for people to access my phone.

However, I was surprised to see that I can still just swipe and enter my 4-digit passcode.

Si”

Nothing stopping you changing the passcode to a custom one of any length you like, make yourself a custom alphanumeric 20+ digit code, you'll only need it for the occasional input when the phone wants to reauthenticate and just use the TouchID for normal day to day use.

Here's an example:

Quote:
“While not as convenient as a simple number code, an alphanumeric password can be harder to crack and just as easy to remember if you use randomly generated combinations of words.

For example, "sarcasm-blacken-guilder-epilepsy" or "stitch-quasi-peppery-tuneless," two password phrases generated by 1Password, aren't difficult to remember because they're simple words, but with upwards of 29 characters, they're impossible to guess or brute force.

Using an alphanumeric passcode will be more of a hassle than a standard passcode, but with Touch ID, a passcode doesn't need to be entered too often. ”

http://www.macrumors.com/how-to/crea...n-ios-devices/
tdenson
03-05-2016
Also, I suspect that just adding one digit, or at most 2, would render the passcode more secure than fingerprint anyway, so there's no point going overboard. So to answer the OP - use a 6 digit password if security worries you and you will only need to input it occasionally anyway.
jchamier
03-05-2016
Apple's argument was that something like 80% of iPhone users didn't have a passcode at all, due to the hassle. So having any passcode and fingerprint to make it quicker is better.

Yes a 6digit PIN is very good, and a password is excellent for security, but they have to be balanced with usability. Make it unusable but secure, and nobody will use it.
Twmbarlwm
03-05-2016
Thanks for all the replies guys.

I think the key thing mentioned that I'd overlooked was that having Touch ID makes it not too much of a pain to have a more secure, complicated passcode.

I've created a more complex one now and will see how I find that.

I don't think you can "like" posts on here - I'd "like" your replies if I could.
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