Samsung Electronics Co. said it will soon release a software patch to fix a security flaw on the fingerprint sensor of its Galaxy S10 smartphone series, moving fast to tackle the technological glitch and avoid revisiting the 2016 recall nightmare of the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7.

The issue was first reported by a British user whose husband was able to unlock her phone with his fingerprint when it was cased in a third-party screen protector.

The South Korean tech giant acknowledged that the problem could occur when patterns of some silicon case protectors are recognized along with fingerprints. It said it will soon issue a patch that does not register the patterns on the silicon case.

Launched in March, the Galaxy S10 phones have an in-display ultrasonic sensor that detects the ridges of fingerprints. The company had touted the ultrasonic authentication system as “revolutionary,” stressing its enhanced accuracy and security compared with optical readers used by Chinese rivals like Huawei and Xiaomi.

The technology was developed jointly with Qualcomm, raising the possibility that the same problem could occur in other smartphones that use Qualcomm solutions. Similar issues are said to have been raised by some Galaxy Note 10 users as well.

The latest malfunction is reportedly due to several updates introduced in the new phone to enhance the fingerprint recognition capabilities. The company had issued software updates after complaints from some initial Galaxy S10 users of having problems with the fingerprint scanner. If the latest bug is due to loosened security to allow phones to more easily read wet or dirty fingers, the problem can be fixed with a software patch, according to experts.

Industry observers say the company needs to act swiftly as the security flaw, if left uncontained, could lead to huge financial losses for users when abused in banking or card transactions. The latest flaw also recalled the company’s fire-prone Note 7 fiasco in 2016 that tarnished the company’s reputation and caused massive losses.

Samsung Electronics, whose performance has flagged due to the protracted downturn of its mainstay chip business, enjoyed a rebound in the third quarter with estimated earnings of 7.7 trillion won ($6.52 billion) on sales of 62 trillion won thanks to stellar sales of its two new flagship phones. Its final earnings report is due on Oct. 31.

By Shin Chan-ok and Kim Hyo-jin

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]