Face unlock on bitcoin wallet devices

[_act_]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

[OmegaStarScream]

I remember making a topic about this a couple of years ago. I thought that the biometric lock was actually encrypting the wallet. Apparently it doesn't, it just protect the app on a UI level. Regardless, biometrics are probably  not the way to go by it. My advice here would be to just set a good password.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5215292.0

[Bureau]

Security features on a mobile Bitcoin wallet are integrated using the mobile device security features. IMO if you are using a good device like iPhone or Samsung Galaxy then face unlock or fingerprint scanner should not be an issue. As we know those two brands have the best security & safety feature. You still can add pin code with the finger print scanner to add an extra layer of security. I haven't seen any mobile wallet integrating face unlock feature yet. If you know such a mobile wallet then do share here.

[Findingnemo]

The fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Face lock is even less secure than the fingerprint, There are instances about facial recognition already proven that face ID can be fooled by pictures and even someone with facial similarities can access your device which is unlikely to happen with a fingerprint scanner because it's more complicated to tamper but still possible to replicate.

But I would say none of them are secure when it comes versus good a password like a combination of uppercase, lowercase, and special characters but definitely not a pin which is either four or 6 digits in most of the wallets.

In the worst-case scenario if someone tries to rob your Bitcoin wallet and they catch you so imagine accessing the wallet with biometrics is just simple they can touch your thumb or show it towards your face but if its a password they can't access it unless you spill.

[LoyceMobile]

You're talking about a little amount. In that case, I wouldn't use any additional security, just keep your phone (physically) secure.

If I lose my phone, that costs a lot more to replace than the small amount of Bitcoin on it.

[avp2306]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Do we really need it? For me not necessary needed to have.

Since you just need to secure your wallet and for that nothing will happen to you. If you are afraid on your balance stored because you are participating on many investment or other risky actions then try to have separate device and have dummy wallet since from doing this I'm sure that you are much secured for any hackings or other more attacks.

[rachael9385]

In this case I prefer the fingerprint sensor security than the face unlock security, anything might happen to the investor things like an accidents that might cause the damages of hes or her face and if anything happens the person's face the wallet will never opens again because the face has changed structure maybe from right to left   .
Fingerprints can be somhow good because any Bitcoin wallet that have fingerprints features you can add more than one finger like one from right and the other from left.

[Despairo]

I'd say anything that involved with human creature is never be safe since there's a risk involved like lost finger, maturity etc that can change your current body. There's also a risk about privacy since the software will record everything. Someone who can get the information can use AI or create 3D version and then use 3D print generator to create same alike person.

[tech30338]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

The bad thing about the face and fingerprint to unlock your wallet is if your mobile phone has been compromise, and there is a malware this could steal those fingerprint and face info that is store in your mobile phone, another thing is if your wallet is set to fingerprint what if something happen to your hand or face, remember that it will not recognize since there is damage, also I have tried before on other facial I'm not sure about other security that uses face recognition but picture does work, but i have tried it before and it works.
Also i recommend that never use your phone as wallet for bitcoin, too dangerous specially android.
But if other users really want to use mobile, there is always a risk on what we do, all we can do is lessen those things that will compromise our wallet.

[BlackBoss_]

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

With biometrics lock, unlock you will have an ace under your sleeve like a password, pin code to unlock your mobile phones when biometrics does not work.

Biometrics or password, pin code only lock your phone access, it does not lock /encrypt your wallet file. It does not directly protect your wallet file.

With wallet file, always use strong password to protect its access and your bitcoin.

Fingerprint sensor and scanner not working on Samsung.

[un_rank]

Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Then use a strong password.
A highly secure password provides excellent level of security against unauthorized access and does not need to be supported by bio-metric security like face unlock or finger print.

Security is more about what practices you use than the wallet security itself. If you click on random links, download from unverified source and you do not verify the signature (https://bitcoinelectrum.com/how-to-verify-your-electrum-download/), or you adopt other unsafe practices, you will get hacked notwithstanding what security access system you use.P.S. Both face ID and finger print are terrible for safety.

- Jay -

[Yamane_Keto]

The name tells us the details that it is Face unlock, meaning that it is at the same level as locking the application using a password or fingerprint, but Face makes customizing the wallet unlock linked to a few users.

The words unlock and lock do not mean encrypting the wallet,  hackers can easily steal your money completely if you locked the application with a password, but it protects you from physical attacks if your device is stolen.
Encrypting the wallet with a password provides a layer of security so that even if hackers gain access to a device, they still need the password to be able to spend coins.

Privacy Warning: Pictures of your face may be taken, stored and sent to different servers, so activating the face lock option is bad for privacy.

[Lucius]

I had the opportunity to log in to my laptop almost 15 years ago using facial recognition technology, and I gave it up very quickly because it caused me more problems than benefits, and after that I never used such a method of protection on a smartphone. I agree that this method is even less secure than fingerprint protection, but also both methods can be very easily abused in various situations. Whether it is a physical attack in which the attacker will unlock your device without any problems, or one of your family members will use your face or finger while you are sleeping and peek into your device.

When it comes to mobile wallets, we always have the option of additional protection for each app on the device with a PIN or additional password, so that even if someone manages to unlock the device, they still cannot access our wallet without additional actions.

Therefore, I would recommend for everyone who uses Android to additionally protect all apps that contain sensitive information - and information on how to do this on different devices can be found at the following link -> How to Lock Apps on Android Phones in 2023.

[Nwada001]

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Both finger prints and those of face unlock are entirely unsecure, especially on a device that contains your wallet holdings. Password combinations have always been proven to be the best means of security.

Face unlock and that of finger print are just fast means of unlocking one's device, saving you the stress of not typing your passwords from beginning to end, but what has an advantage has a high disadvantage most times. Unless one activates both fingerprint and face unlock on their device, they should never give it access to their wallets. Wallets always make it optional, not a compulsory or mandatory kind of thing.

You can have finger print and face unlock but still not use them on your wallet app, and you can only use your wallet combination pin to access your wallet combination. But if phone security is compromised, it's only a matter of time before the wallet becomes compromised, as with a phone password, anything can be activated and modified.

[Who is John Galt?]

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

If you have enough bitcoins that an attacker purposefully wants to get exactly them, in my opinion it is better not to have any protection methods that are personally tied to you. Because then there is a higher risk that an attacker will not only steal the funds, but also harm you in order to gain access to them. For me, it's better if they try to guess the password than cut off my fingers.

As for the accidental loss of the phone, I would say that a regular password is enough. It is unlikely to be hacked quickly anyway, and as soon as you discover the loss, you will have time to transfer all funds to a new, not compromised address.

[icalical]

If you are talking about iOS 3D Face Id then it's technically safer than fingerprint, the case is different with 2D face ID in most of android phone is not better or in some case it's less secure than fingerprint. But I wouldn't recommend using solely biometric security for any wallet, the biometric data still can be stolen. Use multiple layers of security, Password, App Generated 2FA, email generated 2FA, if a lot of money is stored in a mobile wallet, then I wouldn't hesitate to use all of those security, tho I rarely store many fund in my mobile wallet.

[_act_]

Do we really need it? For me not necessary needed to have.

This is only fun for me, I was expecting such replies, the best are pin and password.

Since you just need to secure your wallet and for that nothing will happen to you. If you are afraid on your balance stored because you are participating on many investment or other risky actions then try to have separate device and have dummy wallet since from doing this I'm sure that you are much secured for any hackings or other more attacks.

It would be better to make an airgapped device and use a wallet you generated on it. If you can not do that, get yourself a hardware wallet for huge amount of coins to hold.

I'd say anything that involved with human creature is never be safe since there's a risk involved like lost finger, maturity etc that can change your current body. There's also a risk about privacy since the software will record everything. Someone who can get the information can use AI or create 3D version and then use 3D print generator to create same alike person.

I take the picture of myself but it does not work, using AI or anything like that will likely fail.

Findingnemo post has talked about the most important thing, I too have heard before that a brother was able to unlock his brother phone with face unlike with his face which is what I see to be more reason we should not use face unlock as a security.

Another reason is that if the person is compromised, only what that is needed to unlock his phone is his face for easy entry.

[Crypt0Gore]

Fingerprint is more secured than face recognition methods to unlocking your smartphones, and all together, it's not safe to rely on both when you have some Bitcoin in your mobile wallet, it's better to invest on a hardware wallet and move your Bitcoin out of your mobile wallet into the hardware wallet.

Mobile wallets are good for daily transactions and I only leave some few hundreds in dollars worth of Bitcoin on such wallets, even if something happens it's just $100+ worth of Bitcoin anyway.

Some people are trying so hard to avoid investing on a hardware wallet, my advice is it's not worth the risk, hardware wallet is the best place to keep your Bitcoin for long term, forget face ID locks and fingerprint security.

[DYING_S0UL]

I wouldn't use something what can be easily duplicated. Just look at the world. We are in the era of AI. We can make anything with just a piece of information. Face unlock! Seriously? I think it's the worst kind of security. I wouldn't dare use something like that. We can even make our face look like what we would be like in 10 years. These are just surface level threats. & the real question is do we really need it? I don't think so. The best security is being offline. If we could make a fully offline device then it would be the most secure. (Which I think we already have)

[Doan9269]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

They are almost thesame because don't be surprised that when you're sleeping someone can just have access to your phone and place the phone right to your face to get unlocked, any security measures that does not work with how we can secure our private keys is less effective, using password, biometrics or face unlocked features are just device and apps sensitive, they don't secure our funds on the wallet, if they have any of our private keys, they don't need the apps security measures we use before they can steal from us, using a centralized exchange, hot or mobile wallets and applying a security means on them is not secured by any way at all, we are already vulnerable no matter the security measures we take on them.

[Cantsay]

~~~
Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

OT- It reminds me of an incident that occurred recently while transacting with my normal bank app, I enabled confirming transaction with my Face ID which means as soon as I input the amount I wanted to send and click on “ok” instead of inputting my bank pin I’d have to just use my face and it happened that I added an extra “0” to the money that I was supposed to send and as soon as I clicked okay it got confirmed with my face although I was later refunded the extra because I knew the person.

 Now look at it from the angle, once someone is able to gain access to your phone all they have to do is to place it in front of your face and they’ll have access to your account and do whatever that they want to do without having to force your passcode from you. To me I won’t enable it in my wallet even if the option is made available to me.

[Razmirraz]

In my opinion fingerprints are safer than face unlock security, fingerprints are difficult to back up when your cellphone is stolen or taken by someone who knows you, while face unlock can still be manipulated with your photo. Each individual has a different way of choosing wallet security, some prefer using complex passwords with different characters, face unlock security and fingerprint security.

Choosing the level of security on your wallet needs to be considered when you are pressed, have a serious accident, or are exposed to water containing chemical compounds (sulphuric acid) which results in your face being damaged, memory loss or forgetfulness. However, fingerprint security remains safe unless one of the fingers used is broken or amputated, but this incident is very rare.

[BIT-BENDER]

Iny own opinion finger print and face lock should be put under the same category of security measures and they should share same positivity and negativity as well, they both require the use of the owner to unlock the device but finger print requires physical contact.

I haven't use anyone of them ever since I had a glitch and my friend was able to use his finger print to unlock my device although this happened once but that once could easily have spelt doom if it was the wrong person, so I don't advice finger or face lock security.

[Franctoshi]

Even with facial recognition which is already integrated into our smartphones, I have never preferred using it as a method of security in my device because I feel insecure with it let alone using it in my mobile wallet where I have some funds in it,  someone can easily scan your face even when you are sleeping or get access by other methods to compromise your wallet, I'm ok with high secured password.

[ImThour]

I actually use FaceID for all of my wallets and applications, I feel like it's secure and can only be accessed by me. No way anyone is able to make a replicate of me as FaceID by Apple is a very advanced and fairly tested methodology and it should be by default used and suggested to users with any money related application rather it be a Banking App or A Crypto Wallet. Exchanges are also using this for 2FA on login which is great. Fingerprints are outdated and I don't think that is reliable as most of the smartphones no longer have finger scan.

[Aikidoka]

I believe that using face unlock adds an effective layer of security especially when we are talking about the use of a small amount of BTC on your phone. IMO the optimal approach involves employing two separate apps on your phone for conducting transactions, thus enhancing security. The first app would be utilized for creating the transaction, while the second one would serve to confirm the transaction using a different code. I'm curious to know if there's a wallet with this kind of functionality available for phones.

To be honest, I haven't used a Bitcoin wallet on my phone so I have no idea if that's available.

However, I believe that if your phone maintains a high level of security and you refrain from installing suspicious software on your device, utilizing face ID to unlock your app should provide a good protection so far.

[dkbit98]

Few days ago I saw latest thing used by scammers and hackers to easily unlock any devices that have biometrics face lock.
They only need one regular photo from phone owner, than they create video from that by adding same photo multiple times in a same way like movies are made...  this was later used to unlock phones.
Using biometrics alone is not safe, but using it in combination with strong password is not a bad idea.
Nobody is going to enter long password for unlocking phone every time.

[_act_]

Few days ago I saw latest thing used by scammers and hackers to easily unlock any devices that have biometrics face lock.
They only need one regular photo from phone owner, than they create video from that by adding same photo multiple times in a same way like movies are made...  this was later used to unlock phones.
Using biometrics alone is not safe, but using it in combination with strong password is not a bad idea.
Nobody is going to enter long password for unlocking phone every time.

I do not understand what you are saying. You first said that face unlock can be manipulated in a way someone's photo can be used to unlock the device. Later you said using it with a long password is good. If someone phone is stolen with the long password phone, the person photo can still be used to unlock the device. Which means it is not good to use face unlock.

[Coyster]

IMO the optimal approach involves employing two separate apps on your phone for conducting transactions, thus enhancing security. The first app would be utilized for creating the transaction, while the second one would serve to confirm the transaction using a different code. I'm curious to know if there's a wallet with this kind of functionality available for phones.

There is no such thing as what you're explaining, i think what you are trying to suggest is an air-gapped wallet, but this isn't how it works. If what you meant is an air-gapped wallet, it works with two devices; not "two separate apps", the first device is offline whilst the other is online (and is watching-only), the latter creates the transaction and also broadcasts it, whilst the former signs the transaction. As for wallets you can create an air-gapped wallets on, electrum is perfect for it.

[dkbit98]

I do not understand what you are saying. You first said that face unlock can be manipulated in a way someone's photo can be used to unlock the device. Later you said using it with a long password is good. If someone phone is stolen with the long password phone, the person photo can still be used to unlock the device. Which means it is not good to use face unlock.

I am afraid you will never understand it. 

[Bushdark]

Even with facial recognition which is already integrated into our smartphones, I have never preferred using it as a method of security in my device because I feel insecure with it let alone using it in my mobile wallet where I have some funds in it,  someone can easily scan your face even when you are sleeping or get access by other methods to compromise your wallet, I'm ok with high secured password.

Using face unlock is not a good way for us to unlock our wallet especially most of the mining apps that will require people to do face verification before they can move from testnet to mainet and I see it as a wrong step at any point. There are wallets that will want us to use fa e verification to safeguard our wallet from unapproved people around. If the verification is from the phone security itself, that could be better but it should not be from a random wallet or app asking us to complete a face verification to use our wallet.

[nakamura12]

I also bave done the same where I didn't store too much Bitcoin in my wallet. I didn't even set a fingerprint unlock that's why I also didn't use face unlock. Anyway, I am not sure if they found out your wallet but need photo of the owner to unlock it because I think it's possible to use photo of the owner to unlock the wallet or even the phone. I also haven't heard someone's funds or money got stolen when his/her wallet required face to unlock or even fingerprint.

[sokani]

They are almost thesame because don't be surprised that when you're sleeping someone can just have access to your phone and place the phone right to your face to get unlocked,

What you said is possible with fingerprint, an intruder can gain access to your phone when you're sleeping by using your fingerprint but I don't think Face lock works the same way. I think the eyes need to be opened and probably blink once to unlock. I've never used Face lock before but I need to test this theory to be certain. A strong password combination is still the best and most effective in securing your wallet or phone.

using password, biometrics or face unlocked features are just device and apps sensitive, they don't secure our funds on the wallet.

Password does add a layer of security to your wallet. Some mobile wallets like Electrum requires you to enter your password in other to gain access to the wallet. Except you failed to password protect your wallet when setting it up.

[Woodie]

To be honest I believe the problem actually lies with us the end users! We are always looking for convenience in trying  to save us time from the process of copying a private key and pasting it..which has pushed these app developers to use biometrics to allow us access to our wallets ( surprisingly bank apps do this too) and I don't see this stopping any time soon as no serious losses have been reported yet...
Btw when it comes to biometrics locks, isn't this dependant on the security of the operating system...if it can be fooled with a picture of you then don't consider  enabling it.

But on the bright side, if someone had passed on and their device had all these wallets biometric locked..it means access to the treasure can easily be retrieved by a spouse unlike a wallet locked by a pvt key which once key isn't found its over for you.

[Asuspawer09]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

I wouldn't actually trust both fingerprint and face unlock, I mean fingerprint I guess is more secure because face unlock is not that reliable and there are a lot of times when it completely fails especially if you change your look, or maybe we just grow and its normal that over time our face change. Both of these securities are not that reliable because they can easily be cracked and I wouldn't really use this on my Bitcoin wallet. It wasn't really some kind of encryption, the fingerprint can be used if you want to be convenient since you could easily access your wallet using your fingerprint and not using your password but it just wasn't fully secured.

I guess if it is a multiple layer of security we could use something like this, with your seep phrase password, and then throw in another layer of security using the fingerprint. I just dont think that the face unlock is a great security it needs a lot more improvement, Even on top-of-the-line devices there are times when this face unlock fails which is really annoying.

[hatshepsut93]

In the worst-case scenario if someone tries to rob your Bitcoin wallet and they catch you so imagine accessing the wallet with biometrics is just simple they can touch your thumb or show it towards your face but if its a password they can't access it unless you spill.

In this worst case scenario you already lost, because you will give up your coins when your life will be threatened. The only protection from these situations is to never get into them in the first place.

Protecting your all Bitcoin savings with a fingerprint or face id is stupid, but using it for a small wallet for daily spendings is totally acceptable. And the biggest threat to mobile wallets is malware, so it's best to focus on never getting it on your device.

[Asiska02]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Fingerprints are more secured than face unlock because I have witness a case where identical twins were able to unlock each others phone by their faces. The best thing to do is to keep your password very safe and non accessible to anyone, you can’t trust all, so make sure your password is not disclosable to anyone.

Anybody that have access to your password can easily add their fingerprints to the phone and will be able to have access to your wallet and get away with your funds simpler than a thief stealing your phone and trying to crack your password before accessing your phone.

Nowadays, applications do enable adding fingerprints or face unlock as alternative to password for easy accessibility. If your application already enabled that in your phone, it’ll be very easy to access the wallet and steal your money when anyone who knows your password gets hold of your phone.

[passwordnow]

If it's a small amount, any security measure that I like to explore will do. But I just want to take it the traditional way by adding a 2FA or any password that I only know. As long as I am not compromising myself and I know my history when I use the web and my smartphones as well, then the traditional will be fine for me. I'm conscious but I want to do it in a natural and easy way. Because being complex could also put some effort and make things complicated like fingerprint and eye scanner unlock.

[Sarah Azhari]

Anyway, I am not sure if they found out your wallet but need photo of the owner to unlock it because I think it's possible to use photo of the owner to unlock the wallet or even the phone.

As far as I know, Face ID like on iPhone uses 3D technology to map your face. I've experienced using it to unlock my girl's phone with her photo, but it won't unlock the iPhone. But, even if it can't, I don't recommend installing a wallet on the phone even if it's for a few BTC. because I lost 0.0005 BTC saved in my wallet phone some time ago. yeah, it's not much, but with that experience, I don't want to save BTC on my wallet phone anymore.

[YUriy1991]

Many users want to manage their crypto assets easily and securely while eliminating the common risks associated with private key management and account recovery and now many platforms are trying to provide more specialized services as you mentioned in managing wallets that may be stored and accessible through mobile.

It's true as the OP said and it has also been applied by large companies such as Apple and Microsoft which have used Biometric Facial authentication as the main authentication factor in their newest products. But I think there are also challenges that arise with biometrics on devices when the original device is no longer accessible, for example lost or stolen, or never had native support for Biometrics included when it was manufactured.

[Die_empty]

I have never liked using biometrics because it can malfunction and sometimes I wonder what happens in times of uncertainties such as illness and injuries that can disfigure the owner. Keeping small amount in a mobile phone and a strong password is a better option.

Using biometrics alone is not safe, but using it in combination with strong password is not a bad idea.
Nobody is going to enter long password for unlocking phone every time.

I do not understand what you are saying. You first said that face unlock can be manipulated in a way someone's photo can be used to unlock the device. Later you said using it with a long password is good. If someone phone is stolen with the long password phone, the person photo can still be used to unlock the device. Which means it is not good to use face unlock.

@dkbit98 advice is clear and easy to understand. He advised that combining a biometrics face lock and a strong password would be a better option. This means these scammers will have to go through two security checks that is biometrics and password.

[Ruttoshi]

Face lock isn't a good way to secure your bitcoin wallet neither will a finger print be the best option. It is easy for one to get access to your wallet unknowingly to you if you are using any of these security methods to secure your bitcoin wallet.

For instance,if a family member knows that you are using any of this method,it is easy for them to have access to your wallet by taking advantage of you when you are sick and lying down helplessly. They can just hold your hand and use your finger print to access your wallet,unknowingly to you because you are weak and sleeping. Also with the face lock,an identical twins can use his face to unlock is other twin wallet. The best method is to put a password,because that remains inside you and if you don't say it out or write it,there will be no access without your permission.

[Coyster]

Face lock isn't a good way to secure your bitcoin wallet neither will a finger print be the best option. It is easy for one to get access to your wallet unknowingly to you if you are using any of these security methods to secure your bitcoin wallet.

Face ID and password/passcode isn't a bad combination to use on your device, you're not using it to secure your wallet per se, but to prevent unauthorized access into your device, and you could have other important and private stuffs/files in your device that you do not want others to see. Even if someone finds a way into your device despite this, your wallet file should be encrypted with a unique password, don't use the same password you used to lock your device to also encrypt your wallet file, you could even go a step further to encrypt your wallets app on your phone, thus for somone to gain access to your wallet, they'll have to break three different encryptions. Having said that, store only an amount you can afford to lose on your online wallet.

[NotATether]

I have seen some bugs inside mobile phone screen locks that use facial recognition where some friends can show a similar-enough person's face, and it unlocks the phone for them. So it's pretty bleeding-edge technology and not something you want to rely on by itself to guard access to your crypto.

Maybe it can happen with fingerprint recognition too, I don't know. But so far I have not seen that happen.

[Yamane_Keto]

I have seen some bugs inside mobile phone screen locks that use facial recognition where some friends can show a similar-enough person's face, and it unlocks the phone for them. So it's pretty bleeding-edge technology and not something you want to rely on by itself to guard access to your crypto.

What confirms that these services are not very accurate is that they are built on the password, as you are asked to enter the password before you can activate the Face unlock option. If you fail, you will be asked to enter a PIN or password, but as I mentioned previously, we are talking about locking and not encryption, which means that it can be easily bypassed if someone steals your phone or wants to, while it is impossible to decrypt it with the same ease as unlocking.

[Rockstarguy]

The fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Face lock is even less secure than the fingerprint, There are instances about facial recognition already proven that face ID can be fooled by pictures and even someone with facial similarities can access your device which is unlikely to happen with a fingerprint scanner because it's more complicated to tamper but still possible to replicate.

Fingerprint is safer than the face recognition,  like you said pictures can be used to unlike a device if the persons face is unavailable.  The fingerprint is one the best for the security on devices because it has been proven scientifically there are no two identical fingerprint in the world that is exactly the sane, this means it impossible to use someone else fingerprint to unlock a device, sometimes when the finger is not properly placed the device still remains lock.   I think fingerprint security would be so difficult to manipulate unlike other security patterns.

[tokyohd]

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?
[/quote]
Face unlock on Bitcoin wallet devices is generally less secure than traditional methods like hardware keys or strong passwords. Face unlock systems can sometimes be tricked by photos, videos, or even 3D models of your face, leading to false positives. If not implemented properly, face unlock can become a security risk. If an attacker gains access to a high-quality image of your face, they might be able to unlock your wallet. Also facial recognition can be vulnerable to spoofing and may not provide the same level of protection against unauthorized access. It's recommended to prioritize more secure authentication methods for safeguarding your Bitcoin holdings.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

In my opinion, using a face ID on a Bitcoin wallet or even just for unlocking your device is very risky because it's easy to unlock your device with just a few seconds of looking at your phone. Someone can just forcefully pick up your phone and place it on your face, and it's going to unlock. My question is, what if it's a thief that just ceases you, collects your phone, and while you are ceased, he or she can just force you to look at your phone to unlock your wallet while they access your funds? For me, it's not really cool to use face ID or even finger prints to lock your Mobil Bitcoin wallet. Even while you are sleeping, your phone can be unlocked if it is positioned in front of your face. Even some experienced old members of this forum, like o_e_l_e_o, who mostly talks about security, would not support these security measures because you have a higher chance of losing your asset to thieves.

[Rruchi man]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Fingerprint is not safe, your device having the finger print reader to unlock your wallet may malfunction and begin to accept fingerprints that are not even yours, in extreme cases, your fingerprint can be copied, cloned and reproduced for use to beat your fingerprint security.

Face unlock is worse too because asides the fact that it can also malfunction, it is not the best option for every person. For instance, facial unlock may not be able to tell the difference between two very identical twins with very similar facial features, and your wallet may now become accessible to your identical twin.

[DeathAngel]

It’s a big no, no for me. Using face unlock on mobile devices is a bad idea due to its potential security risks. It might offer convenience but it lacks the level of security provided by traditional passcodes or fingerprint recognition. Face unlock can be easily fooled by using a photo or video of the user making it less reliable for protecting sensitive info. If someone gains unauthorised access to your device they can potentially unlock it by simply pointing it towards your face compromising your privacy.

[EarnOnVictor]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones.
Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

I recognised the risks fingerprint security poses by myself, so I've been careful about it. It could only help in faster opening of wallets and confirming transactions, but anyone can still access it while you sleep, being drugged/hypnotized or under duress. This is why I do not keep any substantial amount in my wallet/account that is fingerprint-enabled.

For the face unlock, it's even worse since no bodily contact is needed for it to be open or confirm your transaction. You might risk a small amount with fingerprint and still do other 2FA security in addition. But certainly not for face unlock. I don't know the reason why they created it in the first place.

[aysg76]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

The traditional methods are more convenient according to me and same goes with face unlock as we have discussed in biometric related posts.What if you have to undergo any surgery that make it impossible for your wallet to recognize you? There are many possibilities for it so we should have the passwords as a backup and that could help you as additional security but not the way to go with your wallet safety I would also say.

[kamvreto]

As bad security or not, I use all the security methods mentioned like face unlock, fingerprint, 2FA and security via SMS. But the main security thing you need to pay attention to is how you secure the device used to store crypto or as a personal wallet. I only have a mobile wallet that contains several assets and the main assets still use Ledger wallet hardware with better double security. The security of devices and wallets is the responsibility of each user, so don't be careless in doing all kinds of things related to wallets and other sensitive access.

[nelson4lov]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Face unlock on most android devices is also not secure and the authentication/security/authoriser is often on the UI level, not directly integrated into how keys are managed or how users accounts are accessed. So I'd say, it does have some security promises but it does guarantee to fill most of the security check list.

At the end of the day, mobile wallets are simply wallets to be used on the go aka "hot wallets" and shouldn't be used as primary storage device for sensitive details.

[alastantiger]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Neither fingerprint nor face unlock is secured. They have too many flaws. A family member with the same facial feature and resemblance as you can gain access to your wallet through the face unlock . As most security experts have warned, biometrics shouldn't be used alone. They should be used in addition to an authenticator which makes it quite difficult hack. Say after you have used a your face to unlock then you enter an authenticator code. Something that is very difficult to replicate.

[Despairo]

I take the picture of myself but it does not work, using AI or anything like that will likely fail.

You should read this two sites below:
1. https://fortune.com/2018/11/28/artificial-intelligence-fingerprints-security/
2. https://analyticsindiamag.com/how-to-fool-facial-recognition-systems/

I do not understand what you are saying. You first said that face unlock can be manipulated in a way someone's photo can be used to unlock the device. Later you said using it with a long password is good. If someone phone is stolen with the long password phone, the person photo can still be used to unlock the device. Which means it is not good to use face unlock.

Everything has a risk.

If you think it's better for centralized entity to keep your password, since you can't keep safe your password alone, you will think non custodial wallet is bad as you don't have any way to recover your coins, in case you lose your seed phrase.

[GiftedMAN]

Maybe it can happen with fingerprint recognition too, I don't know. But so far I have not seen that happen.

If the face recognition is possible I doubt if we don't get to hear a case where there is a match for fingerprint too but to the best of my knowledge the only time I think someone's mobile phone that is secured with a fingerprint can be access is either when the person is held at gun point or probably when the person's fingers are used to unlock the phone when he or she is unaware(sleeping). I think the best idea concerning the security of assets is to avoid using the mobile phones where important information and portfolio are kept to move around then have a stronger password to the phone or laptop where important details are kept at home in a hidden place.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Look, I can never rely on face IDs detections dude ... If biometrics aren't fallible, then I'm I supposed to be left with no other options than embracing the face detections? Which, in turns can possibly be manipulated??...lol
I totally agree with omegascreams - it's best to choose some random codes, conjugate some more letters and symbols altogether - in a form you can preserve permanently in your Treasury (preferably with cold wallets) ... As long as your keys aren't lost, your coins are save!!

Sandra 🧑‍🦰

[Obari]

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Well I don't know and can't say fir sure but I don't  think it's advisable to use any of this because I could remember sometime ago when my face could unlock my brothers phone mostly in not too bright environment and lf my face could unlock his phone then I think it could still unlock his wallet if he uses it as a means of privacy.
Well I don't think we should be worried about all of this,  and the best way to stay safe is simply using a secure password rather than trying to make things easier with either face recognition or finger print because most times I see typing of long passwords as dutiful.

[Saint-loup]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Really? Who has said that? I don't think it's a bad thing at all to use the fingerprint feature in order to unlock your hot wallet because it's very convenient and quick to use it. When you have to use your wallet several times in a day, it's boring to type your 6 or 8 digits long pin code in order to unlock your wallet and then to type again in order to send or to approve your transaction. Fingerprint safety help to keep your wallet lock when you're not using it without any extra boring thing to do.

[ultrloa]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Really? Who has said that? I don't think it's a bad thing at all to use the fingerprint feature in order to unlock your hot wallet because it's very convenient and quick to use it. When you have to use your wallet several times in a day, it's boring to type your 6 or 8 digits long pin code in order to unlock your wallet and then to type again in order to send or to approve your transaction. Fingerprint safety help to keep your wallet lock when you're not using it without any extra boring thing to do.

Maybe he find it hassle since he will not say that if he think its good for him. I also didn't use that feature but not  the same with his reason since I just don't like to use it as we can't avoid to get wound on our hands and I'm worried about if we can't use our finger print to open up our wallet.  But for other its still good since this is additional security measure added for protection so if a user feel to use it then its really a good decision to do. For face unlock well I don't also use that and still doubting to try this feature.

[Saint-loup]

Maybe he find it hassle since he will not say that if he think its good for him. I also didn't use that feature but not  the same with his reason since I just don't like to use it as we can't avoid to get wound on our hands and I'm worried about if we can't use our finger print to open up our wallet.  But for other its still good since this is additional security measure added for protection so if a user feel to use it then its really a good decision to do. For face unlock well I don't also use that and still doubting to try this feature.

Usually you can always use a pin code to unlock your wallet instead and you can add several fingers from both hands for the fingerprint, so even if you are wounded at several fingers or at a whole hand you will still be able to use the feature with the fingers remaining if you have registered all your fingers, and if you really can't use any of them for some reasons you can use the pin code as an alternative.

[letteredhub]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

If a fingerprint isn't advisable to use in unlocking a wallet device then face unlock is as well not advisable as the two are just with same risk, while you can be deep asleep someone might take advantage of the moment easily in your unconscious state of sleep. Creating a unique password for the device will be much secure bad perfect in that case.

[Smeet]

Face unlock can enhance device security but should not be the sole measure for securing Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. The effectiveness of face unlock depends on the quality of the facial recognition technology, and even advanced systems can have vulnerabilities. Moreover, the overall security of the device, including a strong passcode or PIN, is crucial in preventing unauthorized access to cryptocurrency holdings.

For greater cryptocurrency security, you should try combining face unlock with additional protective measures such as strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and hardware wallets. The security of the cryptocurrency wallet itself is paramount, and a secure backup and recovery plan should always be in place. The choice of security measures should align with your risk tolerance and the value of the cryptocurrency you're safeguarding, with larger holdings warranting more robust security strategies. Relying solely on face unlock may leave your assets vulnerable to potential risks and threats.

[Cryptomultiplier]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

If a fingerprint isn't advisable to use in unlocking a wallet device then face unlock is as well not advisable as the two are just with same risk, while you can be deep asleep someone might take advantage of the moment easily in your unconscious state of sleep. Creating a unique password for the device will be much secure bad perfect in that case.

Exactly. Why even think of using face lock in the first place, knowing that it is more open to be taken advantage of than a normal authentication would.
Barcode is good to use if you care so much about security of your BTC wallet on your device. A very good password with at least one capital letter, signs, number, punctuation, would give hackers or scammers or even AI tough time to dicipher the password.

[Taskford]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

If a fingerprint isn't advisable to use in unlocking a wallet device then face unlock is as well not advisable as the two are just with same risk, while you can be deep asleep someone might take advantage of the moment easily in your unconscious state of sleep. Creating a unique password for the device will be much secure bad perfect in that case.

Exactly. Why even think of using face lock in the first place, knowing that it is more open to be taken advantage of than a normal authentication would.
Barcode is good to use if you care so much about security of your BTC wallet on your device. A very good password with at least one capital letter, signs, number, punctuation, would give hackers or scammers or even AI tough time to dicipher the password.

This might be awkward to use by other people since many are worried about strange incidents might happen but if this is used by the user and properly handle in terms of security measures to avoid data leaking then this is really good added safety measures on everyone's account since no one can easily access your account unless if you say so. But for now to many skeptical about this feature so majority prefer to use finger print or pincode since they think its more convenient.

[Peanutswar]

Most of the wallets I've been using before in the mobile application do not have its security with the fingerprint instead the phone itself offers this kind of feature related to banks/payments/money transactions. For me its ideal to use this feature the fingerprint is unique to a person its hard to manipulate this unlike facial recognition, just a picture of the owner you can easily access the wallets. Lastly not ideal to store bitcoin with the mobile application instead hardware is the most suitable for the high level security.

[Y3shot]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

I don't see all this security features as bad to use, only individual can tell which  of them all can be use and okay to operate with. I may decide to use fingerprint as security because I feel it is the best security option I can maintain for keeping my wallet safe. It is how people take security option will determine for them if it is safe or not, if we are been very careful how to handle security operations I think it will be safe that no one will be able to take advantage of wallets security,  I will say non of this security options is a bad one, it depends on individuals how risky it can be.

[pawanjain]

Most of the wallets I've been using before in the mobile application do not have its security with the fingerprint instead the phone itself offers this kind of feature related to banks/payments/money transactions. For me its ideal to use this feature the fingerprint is unique to a person its hard to manipulate this unlike facial recognition, just a picture of the owner you can easily access the wallets. Lastly not ideal to store bitcoin with the mobile application instead hardware is the most suitable for the high level security.

These days smartphones have a feature to secure almost every app with a fingerprint to access the application.
Then comes mobile wallets which already have protection using pin and password.
So using fingerprint + alphanumeric password is a better protection than using facial recognition from my perspective.

[Mpamaegbu]

We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet.

Yes, it's not a good idea; especially if it's on a mobile phone you always hold everywhere you go. If you've two or more phones, convert one to a "stay at home phone" or delete the wallet app or make it an offline phone. Simple. It's the same way we should avoid having our bank app(s) on a phone we always carry around, unless it's a bank account used for miscellaneous expenses.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

I use fingerprint biometrics on my TW app and a few other apps and that's because I often access them on the go and wouldn't want to be hiding to type in my password. It's very convenient for me. Facelock is a no-no for me. I could've acne that could give my face a little disfigure and not be able to log in, a typical example of that dude in the advert who extracted his tooth and couldn't be audible to his computerized home robot to gain entry when he needed to.

[Mate2237]

If using the fingerprint is not a good idea then using face to unlock the app will also not advisable because I have heard whereby someone open another person using phone with the owner's face when he was sleeping. And instead of using biometric to lock you wallet app, it is better you use sophisticated password that nobody will know. Or in other words, you can even set pin in the wallet apart from the login password, so that before anyone make a transaction from your wallet, they must enter the transaction pin to facilitate the process and whereby the person do not know the pin then they can't continue the transaction.

So it is either you use a very secure password with different characters and alphabets to secure your wallet than using biometric.

[Saint-loup]

Face unlock can enhance device security but should not be the sole measure for securing Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. The effectiveness of face unlock depends on the quality of the facial recognition technology, and even advanced systems can have vulnerabilities. Moreover, the overall security of the device, including a strong passcode or PIN, is crucial in preventing unauthorized access to cryptocurrency holdings.

For greater cryptocurrency security, you should try combining face unlock with additional protective measures such as strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and hardware wallets. The security of the cryptocurrency wallet itself is paramount, and a secure backup and recovery plan should always be in place. The choice of security measures should align with your risk tolerance and the value of the cryptocurrency you're safeguarding, with larger holdings warranting more robust security strategies. Relying solely on face unlock may leave your assets vulnerable to potential risks and threats.

Fingerprint or facial recognition feature are not made to enhance the security of your smartphone or your hot wallet into it, they're made to give you a more quick and convenient way to access them than to type a long PIN code every time you need to use your smartphone or your wallet. If you have large amounts of cryptos to hold it's better to just keep them into a cold wallet, but in 2023 if you are using web3 dapps you need to be able to approve quickly transactions, and fingerprint and facial recognition allow to do it safely.

[CryptoHeadlineNews]

All I can see here are just a repetition of what have already been said before, because of all the answers  "Findingnemo" did actually elaborate more on all we need to know about the best Bitcoin wallet security, which Pin password happens to stand out the most of the other two which include facial unlock and fingerprints, as both are easily vulnerable to attack just as explained by "Findingnemo"

The fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

Face lock is even less secure than the fingerprint, There are instances about facial recognition already proven that face ID can be fooled by pictures and even someone with facial similarities can access your device which is unlikely to happen with a fingerprint scanner because it's more complicated to tamper but still possible to replicate.

But I would say none of them are secure when it comes versus good a password like a combination of uppercase, lowercase, and special characters but definitely not a pin which is either four or 6 digits in most of the wallets.

In the worst-case scenario if someone tries to rob your Bitcoin wallet and they catch you so imagine accessing the wallet with biometrics is just simple they can touch your thumb or show it towards your face but if its a password they can't access it unless you spill.

[Ever-young]

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

If finger print is not secured face unlock is probably going to be the worst this is because
1. The finger print reader can sometimes be more effective than that of the face unlock, as the thumbs are always different and can easily be detected when the wrong hand is being placed on it, but it’s not completely inaccessible as it can still be compromised.

2; Face unlock sometimes can just detect anyone’s face which looks a little bit like that of the original owner, most time they can just use the originals owners photo to manipulate and open the security.

The best way to stay safe is to use those two settings on our phone personal lock, don’t allow it to do anything with our bitcoin wallet, as it’s easily for criminals to forcefully use our face or our finger and open our wallet without us even granting them the permission to, if they know your finger or face can open it then they will just have to forcefully do it.

So to stay safe in this crypto environment that is filled with so much stealing we should avoid using any of those as a mess of security measures as they are not enough to protect our funds rather they might expose us to more vulnerabilities.

[_act_]

Maybe he find it hassle since he will not say that if he think its good for him. I also didn't use that feature but not  the same with his reason since I just don't like to use it as we can't avoid to get wound on our hands and I'm worried about if we can't use our finger print to open up our wallet.  But for other its still good since this is additional security measure added for protection so if a user feel to use it then its really a good decision to do. For face unlock well I don't also use that and still doubting to try this feature.

Usually you can always use a pin code to unlock your wallet instead and you can add several fingers from both hands for the fingerprint, so even if you are wounded at several fingers or at a whole hand you will still be able to use the feature with the fingers remaining if you have registered all your fingers, and if you really can't use any of them for some reasons you can use the pin code as an alternative.

I am quoting you both.

@ultrloa. For face unlock, it is not a better security, it will only depreciate the security. It is not advisable at all. I have not seen a wallet that has that feature yet, but on phone, I will not advice people to use it because it is not secure at all.

@Saint-loup. All wallets that have fingerprint also have pin or password, you can enable both if you want. But the secure and safe way is to use only pin or password.

[EarnOnVictor]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

If a fingerprint isn't advisable to use in unlocking a wallet device then face unlock is as well not advisable as the two are just with same risk, while you can be deep asleep someone might take advantage of the moment easily in your unconscious state of sleep. Creating a unique password for the device will be much secure bad perfect in that case.

Exactly. Why even think of using face lock in the first place, knowing that it is more open to be taken advantage of than a normal authentication would.
Barcode is good to use if you care so much about security of your BTC wallet on your device. A very good password with at least one capital letter, signs, number, punctuation, would give hackers or scammers or even AI tough time to dicipher the password.

This might be awkward to use by other people since many are worried about strange incidents might happen but if this is used by the user and properly handle in terms of security measures to avoid data leaking then this is really good added safety measures on everyone's account since no one can easily access your account unless if you say so. But for now to many skeptical about this feature so majority prefer to use finger print or pincode since they think its more convenient.

Bro, I would like you to prove me wrong here constructively, face unlock is as useless as anything, there is no value it added to security. It's very good for users to have layers of security, at least two, but if one layer is not a means that is secure itself, why then use it? I simply don't know how face unlock could be useful because it doesn't have to touch your body before it will open, it's just about positioning the face well and it will do its thing. Your security could be compromised at any time unknowingly, especially while you sleep.

It would have made sense if gadgets hid the name of security to be required, but unfortunately, all gadgets will let you and external people know the exact type of security needed at that time.

[qwertyup23]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

It is the same as a fingerprint lock- one mistake can cost a person hundreds of thousands in damages due to theft.

Currently, Bitpay offers a Face ID lock together with your wallet password before you can transfer your funds from one wallet to another. In this case, at least, there is an additional layer of security when Face ID was used in conjunction with providing your wallet password for transfer.

In contrast, if you use Face ID as the sole measure for your security, then you are putting your funds at extreme risk. Better, disable all kinds of fingerprint/face ID scans and only use your wallet password/key as the gateway to your funds and secure them in a safety deposit box for extreme security.

[un_rank]

Your security could be compromised at any time unknowingly, especially while you sleep.

This is the least of the security challenges you face and many companies have customized their system to only allow the face to be scanned if the eyes are open, but it cannot tell between a real person and a picture of the person.

It also relies on facial features so a lookalike can unlock the device using their own face.

It would have made sense if gadgets hid the name of security to be required, but unfortunately, all gadgets will let you and external people know the exact type of security needed at that time.

They cannot hide this. If you chose password or pin, then there has to be the keyboard made available for you to type on and if it is not there, one can assume that its either finger print or face ID.

- Jay -

[_act_]

Your security could be compromised at any time unknowingly, especially while you sleep.

This is the least of the security challenges you face and many companies have customized their system to only allow the face to be scanned if the eyes are open, but it cannot tell between a real person and a picture of the person.

It also relies on facial features so a lookalike can unlock the device using their own face.

It would have made sense if gadgets hid the name of security to be required, but unfortunately, all gadgets will let you and external people know the exact type of security needed at that time.

I have tried face unlock before with eyes closed, but it did not work. I have used my picture and it did not work, but the picture was directly on a phone. I can not try it now with my hardcopy picture because it will not work. Why? Because simple change in your look like cutting your full bears and full hair may not let it work and my look has really changed from the hardcopy pictures that I have right now. Only what I know that has work that people talked about is if you have twins or a brother or sister that resembles you, he or she may be able to use their own face to unlock your device. Generally, face unlock is neither secure and nor safe, fingerprint is even better but still considered unsafe either.

Two safe ones is pin or password.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

If fingerprint (which I see is more secured) is not secured is it face unlock that's more secured?
I can't really say but depending on who's using the device, someone who's kind of careless. If there should be a vote on which is preferable I believe 95% of users here would go for fingerprint.
The only way I think someone can access your wallet is either when you're fast asleep, someone can use your print to access it without you knowing and you can't access it if you accidentally lost your arms, in such case what would you do?🤔

[Renampun]

It is on this forum that I knew using fingerprint to unlock wallet device is not good, specifically mobile phones. We know already that we should not have too much bitcoin on a mobile wallet. Let us assume that you have little amount of bitcoin on a mobile bitcoin wallet like Electrum or Bluewallet but you still want security.

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

I currently use an iPhone 11 and to open the screen and even some of my important applications, I use a facial recognition system or what is commonly called face unlock, in my opinion this is much safer than fingerprints because my bitcoin wallet was once locked because my fingerprints had a little problem so I have set all the important applications on my iPhone to use face unlock (I use safepal and trustwallet to store my bitcoin and some altcoin assets and I activate face unlock from my iphone settings)

[Odusko]

Security features on a mobile Bitcoin wallet are integrated using the mobile device security features. IMO if you are using a good device like iPhone or Samsung Galaxy then face unlock or fingerprint scanner should not be an issue. As we know those two brands have the best security & safety feature. You still can add pin code with the finger print scanner to add an extra layer of security. I haven't seen any mobile wallet integrating face unlock feature yet. If you know such a mobile wallet then do share here.

The bigger question is, would you use a face recognition security feature with you Bitcoin wallet if the ops share any mobile wallet that offer such security, i have face lock set on my local banks apps but i still have extra layer of security like pin, and since i already know the security vulnerability that comes with the face lock security i won't have it on my Bitcoin wallet no matter how convincing it looks or sound to me.
I better set a very strong password to protect my wallet since it is not what I use at frequently time but for storage of my coins.

[yazher]

Basically, my brother can easily open my phone because it recognizes him as me, maybe we have almost identical head shapes and eyes though we're not even twins. If it's only a small amount of bitcoins then it should have been no problem at all even if he wants to get it. But face lock is not always guaranteed to be safe since I can tell you right now that it can be opened by someone else other than you.

[Saint-loup]

Maybe he find it hassle since he will not say that if he think its good for him. I also didn't use that feature but not  the same with his reason since I just don't like to use it as we can't avoid to get wound on our hands and I'm worried about if we can't use our finger print to open up our wallet.  But for other its still good since this is additional security measure added for protection so if a user feel to use it then its really a good decision to do. For face unlock well I don't also use that and still doubting to try this feature.

Usually you can always use a pin code to unlock your wallet instead and you can add several fingers from both hands for the fingerprint, so even if you are wounded at several fingers or at a whole hand you will still be able to use the feature with the fingers remaining if you have registered all your fingers, and if you really can't use any of them for some reasons you can use the pin code as an alternative.

I am quoting you both.

@ultrloa. For face unlock, it is not a better security, it will only depreciate the security. It is not advisable at all. I have not seen a wallet that has that feature yet, but on phone, I will not advice people to use it because it is not secure at all.

@Saint-loup. All wallets that have fingerprint also have pin or password, you can enable both if you want. But the secure and safe way is to use only pin or password.

According to who precisely? Pin code or password are not safer, because you can easily lost or forget them, and they can also easily be stolen by someone next to you when you are typing them, or by anyone finding the sheet of paper where you've archived them. Stealing fingerprints is way more difficult, and you are very unlikely to lose them, if you have register all your fingers. But you can try to register some of your toes too, if you are afraid of losing all your fingers.

[Jon_Hodl]

Biometrics are imperfect by design. Sometimes the light will be low or you will have facial hair or makeup on etc. To account for this, all biometrics are designed to unlock your device with less than 100% accuracy.

Using biometrics to unlock a bitcoin wallet is probably not that big of a deal for small amounts of bitcoin that you are not worried about losing but biometrics are best used for usernames and not for passwords or pin codes.

For any serious amounts of bitcoin, a hardware wallet is the best option. If you're super paranoid, then an air-gapped hardware wallet with either a passphrase or multisig provides the absolute highest level of security.   

[Smartvirus]

Fingerprint is not secure, what about face unlock?

I consider finger print or biometric unlocking of devices a dangerous means to privacy and even worst still, face unlock. I mean, why would anyone have that on their wallet even?

In the case of finger print, there are means to get your finger print but the next thing would be your device. While some means might require someone accessing your device by targeting your subconscious moment to get your prints on your device, it poses a challenge of you having to wake up and note what’s being done.

In the case of face unlock, you better be conscious of shadow cast or lights in your face otherwise, your privacy is very much a goner and that makes it even the more risky.

Alphanumeric passwords remains the best means towards protecting your wallet privacy when compared with the other two options.