Generating unique identifiers for smartphones using software

A fast and simple technique for reliably fingerprinting smartphones is presented. This technique extracts the fingerprint by capturing the small variation found in digital imaging sensors used in smartphone cameras. These variations are a result of manufacturing variability and, as such, they are different even for identical digital cameras. The main advantage of the technique presented is that it can quickly generate a fingerprint for a given phone using a mobile software that can be easily downloaded and installed without any changes to the hardware. Furthermore, this technique generates a reliable fingerprint using as little as five images while allowing the fingerprint to be used as a key to any cryptographic application. The techniques are summarised and the experimental data is presented.