Hackers are coming up with more and more methods to gain unwanted access to devices and infiltrate them to steal information. The past few months have seen malvertisements as a popular means to exploit a device. Spam emails with malware have also been used to get money from victims. Even a protected lockscreen presents opportunity for a hack waiting to happen.
Most recently, a complicated and unlikely method has been discovered by some researchers. According to a report from Tech Crunch, French security firm ANSSI has found a way to send radio waves to smart devices, which will then be able to trick them into responding to voice commands. The researchers found that the radio waves can be received by unshielded iPhone earbuds.
Once the waves made their way into the earbuds, they stimulate the respective button to activate the software. An example used is Apple's voice assistant, Siri. Once Siri has been opened, the device can be stimulated to follow voice commands. This is the potentially harmful part of it. Devices can take in and carry out commands which tell them to send out private information and messages, as well as access apps and even bank account details.
"The possibility of inducing parasitic signals on the audio front-end of voice-command-capable devices could raise critical security impacts," the researchers said about the issue. They added, "Everything you can do through the voice interface you can do remotely and discreetly through electromagnetic waves."
The security organization pointed out, however, that the hack is needlessly complex and is not a cause for concern for most Android and iOS users. To avoid risks, the ANSSI researchers suggest users to turn off voice command features like Siri in their mobile settings. Shielded earbuds are also recommended by the organization for manufacturers of smart devices. ANSSI has published the findings in a study in Electromagnetic Compatibility.
