Banking Apps Blacklisted Samsung Galaxy S10 After Fingerprint Vulnerability Was Exposed

A few days ago, some Samsung Galaxy S10 units with glass or silicone-based screen protectors were discovered to have a vulnerability. The issue allows just anybody to access the device by unlocking it using a fingerprint. The Seoul-based tech and electronics giant responded to the latest issue by asking Samsung Galaxy S10 users not to use the said screen protectors and promised to roll out an update to fix the issue within the week.

With the recent issue of fingerprint vulnerability, some banking apps have already blacklisted the Samsung Galaxy S10. These apps are heavily reliant on fingerprint authentication and have now restricted Samsung Galaxy S10 users to download and install their apps from the Google Play Store. Others have disabled the option to use a fingerprint scanner as some kind of verification.

Other banks like the Nationwide Building Society and the NatWest Bank in the UK seem to have already taken several countermeasures. A Reddit user recently shared that NatWest Bank has removed its banking app on the Play Store for Samsung Galaxy S10 and Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus users. Under the same Reddit post, several users from various regions made the same claim.

Fortunately, some of the banks merely disabled the fingerprint authentication in their banking apps and did not remove the apps from the Google Play Store. So far, most US banks seem to have not yet pulled the same stunt. While some find the banks' reaction overkill, it is easy to understand the underlying reason behind the move.

Some of these bank apps are heavily reliant on the use of fingerprints as the sole method of verification. They simply do not want to be held liable in the event that someone siphons the money by using a phony fingerprint. Samsung must, however, release the fix for this vulnerability as soon as possible. People who prefer doing financial transactions online find this very inconvenient, especially for those who have pulled out their banking apps or have disallowed installing their apps.