Hackers could steal your passwords just by LISTENING to you type

Security flaw in handsets lets hackers access your microphone. Researchers from several universities showed how the sound of you typing on a screen can be decoded. In doing so, you use an algorithm that monitors the sound waves generated by typing with a PIN or password entry and thus finds out the password.

It was possible to find 31 out of 50 passwords with 4 digits in less than 10 trials based on recordings made of the participants as they typed. To use this method, hackers would first need to infect a smartphone with malware and gain access to the microphone.

“Right now it’s really hard to imagine anybody deploying these attacks,’ lead author Ilia Shumailov, of the University of Cambridge, told the Wall Street Journal. “In the near future they’re definitely going to be there” he cautioned.

At present, however, hackers would find this kind of approaches challenging, as current phone sensor technology is not precise enough to accurately extract acoustic information.

To address all these potential vulnerabilities, Mr Shumailov suggests that phone manufacturers start developing devices that display when the microphone and other sensors have been turned on — helping to flag possible eavesdropping attempts.

These potential attacks would likely begin with the accidental download of malicious software — so users should keep themselves safe by only using trusted apps. Limiting microphone access to only those apps that need it will also help to make your smartphone more secure.

Reference:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/hackers-may-soon-be-able-to-tell-what-youre-typingjust-by-hearing-you-type-11559700120