Why posing with the peace sign could be dangerous

Whenever someone produces camera (read: smartphone), your automatic response is to chuck up your peace sign accompanied by a cheeky head tilt. This iconic pose has become ingrained in our psyche thanks to a little thing called social media, but a new study has revealed that this ‘oh so very natural’ response should be carried out with caution.

Hackers are now equipped with bigger and better technology to gain access in our private lives - which is why we may want to think twice about how we pose in a photo. This may come as a surprise, but our security and identify is under threat, simply by throwing up deuces.

The Telegraph has revealed a study from Japan’s National Institute of Informatics which shows how fingerprint data can be developed from high-quality photographs that show the front of your hand. Once fingerprint data is obtained, this could potentially give hackers access to your phone, laptop and bank details. Gulp!

If you’re thinking ‘nah, surely this won’t happen to me’, think about how public and viral Instagram and Facebook can be, plus once a hacker has data on your fingerprint, they can use it for the whole duration of your life. Unlike calling the bank to change a pin number or cancel a credit card, changing your fingerprint isn’t that simple...

Thankfully, China-based technology manufacturer, Goodix is working on a fingerprint scanner that relies on the live pulse of your finger so that prints alone won’t do the trick.  

So for the meantime, tuck that peace sign well away!

Photo source: elleuk.com