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Medscape
3 days ago
- Business
- Medscape
ADHD, Obesity Link May Depend on Where You Live
The well-documented link between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity in both children and adults has typically been attributed to individual traits and behaviors, with limited attention paid to environmental and social factors. However, a new study challenged this perspective, proposing that ADHD may contribute to obesity by reducing physical activity — a connection shaped by the urban environment in which a person lives. 'Our research reveals a surprising urban advantage: As cities grow, both obesity and ADHD rates decrease proportionally,' first author Tian Gan, a PhD student at the Center for Urban Science and Progress, NYU Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn, New York, said in a news release. Larger cities may offer 'protective factors against these interconnected health challenges,' Gan added, citing access to better mental health care, education, and opportunities for recreation and physical activity. The study was published online in PLOS Complex Systems . Urban Impact While impulsivity — a core ADHD trait — has long been suspected to contribute to weight gain through poor food choices and reduced physical activity, this new study highlighted how an individual's urban environment can either amplify or dampen those risks. Researchers analyzed public health data from 915 cities in the United States using 'urban scaling' methods, which describe how features of cities change with population size. They observed that both obesity and ADHD prevalence decrease 'sublinearly' with population — meaning that as cities grow, the per capita prevalence of these conditions declines. At the same time, access to mental health care and higher education rises 'superlinearly,' growing faster than the population. In other words, larger cities seem to offer not just more services, but disproportionately more support for conditions linked to impulsivity, the authors theorized. But city size alone doesn't tell the whole story. Using advanced causal discovery methods, the researchers mapped a network of interrelated variables. ADHD prevalence was linked to higher physical inactivity, which in turn increased obesity. Access to mental health care helped reduce inactivity and indirectly lowered obesity risk. Higher prevalence of college education correlated with better mental health access and more physical activity. This causal map revealed a dynamic system in which impulsivity, health behaviors, and urban infrastructure interact — suggesting that city environments can either reinforce or weaken these effects. The link between ADHD and obesity was stronger in cities with fewer opportunities for physical activity or greater food insecurity and weaker in cities with better access to mental health care and higher education levels, they explained. To validate their findings, the researchers examined individual-level data from the National Survey of Children's Health, which included 19,333 US children. This analysis confirmed the city-level data: Children with more severe ADHD were more likely to be obese, especially when physical activity and household education were low. Taken together, the findings reinforce evidence that ADHD contributes to obesity and point to the urban environment as a potentially modifiable target for intervention, the authors said. 'These findings underscore the importance of city-level interventions in mitigating the impact of impulsivity disorders on the obesity epidemic,' Maurizio Porfiri, PhD, who heads the Center for Urban Science and Progress at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, added in the news release.
Fox News
25-05-2025
- Fox News
Hackers are bypassing fingerprint scanners to steal your identity
Fingerprint sensors have been around for quite some time, and they've become a standard feature in most smartphones. Apple introduced Touch ID on the iPhone 5s in 2013. Since then, it has appeared on 12 major iPhone models (and some iPads as well). Though Apple removed it from most phones after the iPhone 8, it's still found in the iPhone SE series. On the flip side, almost every Android phone on the market has a fingerprint scanner. But are fingerprint scanners impossible to bypass? Frank from Deerton, Michigan, asked a similar question that I want to highlight and address because it helps all of us: "Can a website be hacked/compromised with password and fingerprint protection (multiple verification)?" I get what you're saying, Frank. You'd think that since a fingerprint scanner literally requires your fingerprint, it couldn't be bypassed. But you'd be wrong. While fingerprint scanners are generally more secure than facial recognition and passwords, they're not foolproof. In fact, there are several ways bad actors can bypass them to steal your identity. There are multiple ways hackers use to bypass fingerprint scanners. Below, I will discuss five of the more prominent methods. Hackers exploit the concept of "masterprints," which are fingerprints engineered to match multiple individuals' prints. Researchers at NYU Tandon developed "DeepMasterPrints" using machine learning to generate synthetic fingerprints that can deceive sensors by mimicking common fingerprint features. These artificial prints can match with a significant percentage of stored fingerprints, especially on devices with less stringent security settings. Another trick hackers use is making fake fingerprints. They can lift prints off things you've touched and then use stuff like fabric glue or even 3D printers to make molds. For example, researchers at Cisco Talos tried out a bunch of different ways to do this using 3D printing and tested them on phones like the iPhone 8 and Samsung S10; laptops like the Samsung Note 9, Lenovo Yoga and HP Pavilion X360; and even smart gadgets like padlocks. On average, the fake fingerprints worked about 80% of the time. They were able to fool the sensors at least once. Interestingly, they couldn't crack the biometric systems on Windows 10 devices, but they pointed out that doesn't necessarily mean those are more secure. It just means this particular method didn't work on them. Attackers have found a cheap way to break into smartphones by brute force fingerprint authentication. The method, called BrutePrint, lets attackers get around the usual limits that stop too many failed fingerprint attempts. It works by taking advantage of two previously unknown flaws in the fingerprint system. These flaws, named Cancel-After-Match-Fail (CAMF) and Match-After-Lock (MAL), exist because of weak protection for fingerprint data on a part of the hardware called the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI). Basically, BrutePrint uses a hardware-based man-in-the-middle attack to hijack fingerprint data. It sits between the fingerprint sensor and the phone's secure area (called the Trusted Execution Environment) and tries as many fingerprint images as needed until it finds a match. The relieving part is that the attacker needs to have physical access to the phone for this method to work. PrintListener is a side-channel attack that captures the sound of a finger swiping on a screen to extract fingerprint features. It might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but researchers have already built a proof of concept. By analyzing the friction sounds, attackers can reconstruct fingerprint patterns, potentially enhancing the effectiveness of masterprint attacks. Some devices store fingerprint data without adequate encryption. If attackers gain access to this unprotected data, they can replicate fingerprints to bypass authentication. For example, in 2024, a misconfigured server exposed nearly 500 GB of sensitive biometric data, including fingerprints, facial scans and personal details of law enforcement applicants. Fingerprint scanners make it easy and fairly secure to unlock your devices. Since everyone has unique fingerprints, you don't need to remember complicated passwords. Just a quick touch and you are in. Most modern devices store your fingerprint data in secure parts of the system, and they use things like liveness detection to make sure someone is not trying to trick the scanner with a fake finger. Still, no security method is perfect. Skilled attackers have found ways to get past fingerprint scanners using high-resolution photos or 3D-printed fingers or by taking advantage of flaws in how the scanner communicates with the rest of the device. The risk really depends on how well the scanner is designed and how much effort someone puts into breaking it. For most people, fingerprint authentication is quick, easy and secure enough. However, if you are dealing with very sensitive information, relying only on biometrics might not be the best idea. Safeguard your biometric identity with these essential security measures. 1. Choose trusted phone brands: If you're buying a phone, stick with well-known brands like Apple, Samsung or Google. These companies take extra steps to protect your fingerprint data by storing it in secure areas of the phone that are harder to access. Cheaper or lesser-known brands may not have these protections, which makes it easier for attackers to steal your data. 2. Keep your phone updated: Phone updates are not just about new features. They fix security problems that hackers might use to break into your device. If your phone asks you to install an update, do it. Most phones also let you turn on automatic updates, so you don't have to worry about remembering. Keeping your software updated is one of the easiest and most important ways to stay protected. 3. Use strong antivirus software: Install strong antivirus software to detect malware that could compromise biometric data storage. Strong antivirus software offers real-time threat detection, anti-phishing and privacy features to block unauthorized access to fingerprint data. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices. 4. Don't rely only on your fingerprint: Using a fingerprint to unlock your phone is convenient, but it shouldn't be your only line of defense, especially for sensitive apps like banking or email. Always set up a PIN, password or pattern as a backup on your iPhone and Android. This way, even if someone manages to copy your fingerprint, they still need another piece of information to get in. 5. Be careful about who handles your phone: If someone else uses your phone, especially a stranger or someone you don't know well, they might be able to copy your fingerprint from the screen. It's rare, but it happens. To reduce this risk, avoid handing your phone to people unnecessarily and wipe your screen occasionally to remove any clear fingerprints. 6. Only use fingerprint login with trusted apps: Not every app that asks for your fingerprint is trustworthy. It's safest to use fingerprint login only with apps from known and reliable companies, like your bank, phone manufacturer or email provider. If an unfamiliar app asks for fingerprint access, it's better to skip it and use your password instead. 7. Consider using a personal data removal service: Even fingerprint scanners can be bypassed, and large amounts of personal and biometric data have been exposed in breaches. Using a personal data removal service helps reduce your risk by removing your sensitive information from public databases and data broker sites, making it harder for hackers to piece together details that could be used to steal your identity. Check out my top picks for data removal services here. Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web. Passwords are generally easier to hack than biometric data like fingerprints or facial recognition. However, the key difference is that passwords can be changed if they're compromised. Your biometrics cannot. Most modern devices allow both options, and biometrics can offer an extra layer of security by making it harder for someone else to access your phone or apps. They're also fast and convenient, since you don't need to remember or type anything. That said, in most cases, your device still falls back on a password or PIN when biometric identification doesn't work, so both systems often go hand in hand. With the increasing sophistication of methods to bypass fingerprint security, what should companies be doing to stay ahead of these threats and better protect user data? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
