As our home is filled with “smart things”, threats rise when we talk about security and privacy. Recently managed to collapse the main websites of half the world thanks to an attack that used surveillance cameras connected to internet, as that many will have to control your baby sleep, and see a piece of black tape placed on the computers webcam is already almost commonplace in companies and in many homes. He made of that each time are more connected carries implicit this increase in them possible attacks towards us, and the last threat could get from something so simple as ones headphones.
And not am speaking of headphones more or less advanced with microphone of which is used with them smartphones, but of simple headphones, of which is used to listen music without microphone built-in but that can modify is through software to capture our conversations without us realize of this. How can be that? It is very easy, any handset could be used as a microphone, the audio quality is not great, but more than enough, and only have to connect it to a microphone instead of an audio output input to get it. Some researchers have managed to modify the codecs from RealTek, present in most of the PC for half the world, and make what is an audio output to a microphone input, so headphones connected grab all of our conversations.
It is a test that a group of research, not a real threat, and now that it is known hopefully RealTek policymakers to put hands to work and correct this security flaw, but the simple fact that possible continues to be as disturbing as that they can capture everything that is happening in front of your computer hacking your webcam. While not has a solution, best disconnect the headphones when not is use. Of time them tests is have made only in Pc with that codec of Realtek, but not is disposable that tablets and smartphones can suffer from the same vulnerability.
