Two-factor authentication can be combined with other security layers, such as behavioural analytics

Security researchers have found that a padlock secured with a fingerprint can be opened by anyone with a smartphone, according to reports.

Evgeny Chereshnev, CEO and founder of Biolink.Tech, said: "Anything that has only one factor of authentication is insecure by design. Cybercriminals are constantly trying to find new ways of bypassing security measures; however, two-factor authentication still offers stronger security than the classic one-factor authentication.

"To avoid sophisticated attacks, two-factor authentication can be combined with other security layers, such as behavioural analytics, so that if one layer fails, another layer of security takes over. While two-factor authentication capabilities can help verify the user, behavioural analytics allow you to learn and trust the user. This way, you put the trust on the human instead of the device. With passive biometrics, consumers are identified by their behaviour, and not by static data such as passwords or one-time codes. This inherent behaviour cannot be duplicated by hackers."

Daniel Moscovici, co-founder of Cy-oT, added: "This is a great example of where we take a physical device, in this case a lock, and make it "smart" by connecting it wirelessly to the internet. This news is not surprising; if someone can break a physical lock, why wouldn't they be able to break a "smart" lock? This also resembles the transformation in cars where ignition keys were replaced by a digital key transmitting wirelessly to start the car, and hackers were able to break in and steal the car.

"We are in an age where everything is going to be "smart" and connected, and thus will be susceptible to hacking or used as an attack platform - as we saw in the case of Mirai. We need a much broader security solution or approach in order to protect us from these threats and attacks."