Tag Archive for: smartphone

Could This Crazy New Smartphone Hack Turn 2024 Into 1984?


In a new study published in Science Advances, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have revealed how hackers can turn your smartphone into a spying device akin to the TV screens featured in Orwell’s 1984.

The paper, Imaging privacy threats from an ambient light sensor, reveals how seemingly harmless ambient light sensors, used in most smartphones to auto-adjust screen brightness, are capable of covertly capturing user interactions thanks to a newly developed computational imaging algorithm.

How Smartphone Screens, Not Cameras, Can Spy On Users

I have written plenty of articles covering how seemingly innocuous items can be used to spy on users and create a security threat that one might not ordinarily imagine. Forget the more obvious targets for such stories as smart speakers, and think more about light bulbs and vacuum cleaners, both of which have been subject to research regarding covert surveillance techniques.

MORE FROM FORBESNew Galaxy S24: Samsung Confirms Massive Security Bombshell

More than a hint of 1984 shines through the research by Yang Liu, Gregory W. Wornell, William T. Freeman and Fredo Durand. Instead of Big Brother keeping tabs on citizens through enormous TV screens everywhere, the researchers talk of how hackers could covertly capture user gestures through the small screens we carry everywhere: smartphones.

More precisely, the researchers focus on the ambient light sensors that enable our smartphones to adjust screen brightness to match our environment. Apps can use ambient light sensors without the need to ask permission from the user. The lack of permission control is not exactly surprising, given that such sensors have not been considered a privacy or security risk. Until now.

MORE FROM FORBESGmail 2024 Hack Attack Advice: Turn It Off And On Again, Google Says

Novel Smartphone Security Risk Revealed By MIT Researchers

“The ambient light sensor needs to be always on for functionality and is…

Source…

India’s Best Smartphone Under 30000 Rupees – Worth Buying!



Urgent warning to smartphone users as cyber threats skyrocket


SMARTPHONE users are being urged to be app-rehensive amid a rise in dodgy apps.

According to cyber experts ESET, the number of Android threats soared by 57 per cent in the last few months of 2022.

Smartphone users are being urged to be apprehensive of dodgy apps on the riseCredit: Getty Images – Getty

This surge was driven by a 163 per cent increase in adware (the pop-up ads that are the bane of many user’s lives) and a growth of 83 per cent in “hidden app” detections.

Often bogus apps look just like the real thing.

Many people will only realise they’ve downloaded suspicious software when they’re hit with a charge they don’t recognise or see their battery drain for no reason.

However, experts from ESET, the internet security specialists, say that people can avoid downloading fake apps by doing some important checks before they hit download.

To keep your device safe, follow these seven tips for recognising a potential problem.

CHECK THE NUMBERS

Say you’re looking for what you would reasonably expect to be an app with hundreds of millions of users but only come across an app that, while sounding like the real thing, hasn’t racked up anywhere near as many downloads.

If that’s the case, the chances are high you’re dealing with an imposter app.

READ THE REVIEWS

If an app is rated poorly, you should probably give it a pass.

MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN

On the other hand, tons of glowing reviews that all sound almost the same should also raise eyebrows.

This is especially the case with apps that have not been downloaded millions of times — many of those recommendations may be the work of fake reviewers or even bots.

CHECK THE VISUALS

Something about the app’s colour or the logo used doesn’t feel right . . .

If you’re in doubt, compare the visuals to those on the website of the service provider.

Malicious apps often mimic their legitimate counterparts and use similar, but not necessarily identical, logos.

Keep your eyes peeled for key details — a closer look, including at the URLs, often reveals some giveaways.

DOUBLE-CHECK ‘OFFICIAL APP’ CLAIMS

In one case documented by ESET research last year, cybercriminals distributed apps for online stores and…

Source…

“The Battle of Mobile Ecosystems: Apple vs. Android – Which One Reigns Supreme?” #100