I covered this low tech hack shortly after the G1 made its debut, and it’s worth repeating.
Our oily finger trails betray the unlock PINs (for iPhone, iPad) and patterns (for Android) for our devices. I noticed this on both my OG iPhone and my EVO, but I wonder how often it’s actually been used successfully.
I suppose no one’s talking if they managed to break into another person’s phone.
Touchscreen Smudges – Password-Stealing | Geekosystem
I compulsively wipe off my touchscreen anyway, and not just because I don’t want my pattern reverse-engineered.
Twitter Comment
Smudges Betray Your Touchscreen Passwords [link to post]
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Even more stupid: my phone displays voicemail password in large numbers. Up your asterisk, Verizon!
(Not to mention how it insists on telling me I have a missed call as I'm trying to enter the password, then needs to be slider-unlocked, then hangs up vm with too many tries message. Then when I call back vm helpfully tells me someone from my phone number tried too many times.)
Nice design. Maybe it's time to get something with visual voicemail, the Droid 2 launches soon . . . .