Google Glass Users Could Be Stealing Your Passwords
Is your phone password impossible to guess? Do you type passwords on your iPad so fast that no one can see? Not anymore, thanks to Google Glass.
Google Glass users can now use their devices to steal passwords using the technology.
Cyber forensics experts at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell have discovered the potential security threat. They developed a way to steal passwords from the camera on the Google Glass. These passwords can be stolen from both smartphones and tablets.
Even more alarming, the thief can be as far away as 10 feet from you, and you won't even know they're there. The sun won't help you, either; this is a glare-proof hack.
The researchers developed a way to map shadows from fingertips that are typing on a smartphone or tablet. Their algorithm converts where the fingers touched and maps them out to the keys they are touching, and that gives hackers an in to your passwords.
The researchers tested their method on some popular devices, including an Apple iPad, a Google tablet and an iPhone 5.
So, you shouldn't be worried right? Wrong! Hackers could get your bank account password and other sensitive account information.
The researchers said the software could work on other devices, like camcorders, webcams and cellphone cameras. Remarkably, the password-stealing software worked on a camcorder from 140 feet away!
The camcorder method might not be very sneaky, but with today's wearable technology, even watches could be used to steal passwords.
Google is reminding the public that Glass has a feature that lights up when its camera is enabled.
"Unfortunately, stealing passwords by watching people as they type them into ATMs and laptops is nothing new," said a Google spokesman in an emailed statement. "The fact that Glass is worn above the eyes and the screen lights up whenever it's activated clearly signals it's in use and makes it a fairly lousy surveillance device."
The research team has definitely exposed a potential security threat. It will present its findings next month at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference.
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