Nowadays, people are relying more and more on their Smartphone, they even save all their private information on their phones without thinking of the consequences. A group of scientists from Indiana University and the Naval Surface Warfare, built a cellphone spy malware called “PlaceRaider” to show that smartphones are a major security risk, and that they could be turned against their users.
This malware works on all versions of Android 2.3 Gingerbread and above. It’s functions consist of taking random pictures every two seconds of wherever its user is to produce a 3D picture without attracting attention. The pictures are sent to a server that filter the numerous graphics and rebuild the scene in a 3D format, getting as a result a clear and detailed idea of the place. This is possible through the orientation and location functions that are incorporated in the program
The access that SpaceRaider requires are similar to the ones of many advanced camera applications, so users can install it without knowing that they are giving permission to this malware to take pictures and send them. Additionally, once it is installed, the shutter sound is deactivated, so the victim will not notice that pictures are being taken. Therefore, burglars could download the physical space to steal the objects in it, such as information on computer monitors, financial documents, and personal information.
 |
| Pictures taken at different hours |
However, we don’t have to be afraid “yet.” As I said before, it was built as an academic exercise, but can you imagine yourself being stalked and having things stolen from you through your cellphone? What if the government were to use this kind of malware to spy on its citizens?. It is clear that we are losing more of our privacy every day, so we must be more careful with the programs that we choose to download from the internet,we should always have antivirus software installed and above all else, keep our private information in a safe place.
-You can find further information in this research paper, written by the scientists from Indiana University and the Naval Surface Warfare:http://arxiv.org/pdf/1209.5982v1.pdf
wuooo I don't have a smartphone...but, what if this program ends up in different devices without permission?, it will be a huge problem.
ReplyDeleteAs you said there's a clear evidence that we are losing our privacy, in this case is because you might allow it. Neverthless, someone may spy on you, every second and you don't even know.
Some weeks ago I watched a report in which it was showed the great amount of cameras that are around us (from the traffic department, security in the subway, at the differents malls and stores.
And the final conclusion is that you can't scape from them, if aren't those cameras, then it will be a satelitte.
If you see it from this point of view, then our future looks hopeless.
:/
I totally agree with you Dominique; it is a fact that we are losing our privacy. There is an aim from the ones who control the world of studying our behaviors to manipulate our privacy to control us. You can even see this in something as shallow and simple as a reality show, where humans are enclosed in a huge “laboratory” in order to observe their behaviors, obsessions, strategies, likes and reactions to stressful situations. Nowadays, many technologies have been developed to spy on us. I found an interesting website that talks about this, and it mentions all the new technologies that have been created to watch us, so I invite you to read it. There, you will find information about those new technologies such as "Pre-Crime" Surveillance Cameras, Capturing Fingerprints From 20 Feet Away, 3 Mobile Backscatter Vans, Hijacking Your Mind, Law Enforcement Using Your Own Cell Phone To Spy On You, Biometric Databases, RFID Microchips, and Automated ISP Monitoring Of Your Internet, among others.
ReplyDeleteThese kind of technologies make me also think that the powerful people, who in a way control the world, need to invade our privacy to observe our behavior and then give us what we need as a placebo to keep us happy but at the same time transmit messages through the media. They tell us what we should wear, eat, or buy to homogenize us and to make us think, wear, and have all the same likes. They want us to just reproduce and replicate instead of produce or be creative. They seek to finally turn us into non-thinking automatons. You can also see this tendency in robotics, one of the fastest growing technologies, but why? Because it is easier to have people who don’t think for themselves. Thus, they try to make us like just like a flock of sheep that can only be guided by others. This is the link of the web-site that I mentioned before:
http://www.blacklistednews.com/14_Incredibly_Creepy_Surveillance_Technologies_That_Big_Brother_Will_Soon_Be_Using_To_Spy_On_You/20455/0/38/38/Y/M.html