If you just thought that putting a password lock on phone secures you from hacking attempts, then you need to rethink yourself. Researchers have found that phone’s sensor like accelerometer, proximity sensor, gyroscope and others represent a potential security risk.
Hackers Can Hack Your Smartphone Using Sensor Data
Password lock and Pattern locks are one of the most implemented security measures on smartphones. However, if you just thought that putting a password lock on phone secures you from hacking attempts, then you need to rethink yourself.
Recently, researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, led by India-origin Shivam Bhasin found that your phone’s sensors can leak your passwords to hackers.
Researchers have found that phone’s sensor like accelerometer, proximity sensor, gyroscope and others represent a potential security risk. The researchers have gathered data from six sensors on Android smartphone and ran this information through machine learning and deep learning algorithms.
You will be shocked to know that the researchers have successfully unlocked every device tested with 99.5 percent accuracy. Not only these, the researchers have achieved that feat in three or fewer attempts.
The researchers have used six different sensors – accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, proximity sensor, barometer, the ambient light sensor to model the digits entered by users based on phone’s tilt angle and lights blocked by fingers.
The group of researchers has trained an advanced algorithm which figures out which numbers are most likely to be tapped for a certain set of sensor values. According to the researchers, any app can access these sensors without user’s permission.
So, this indeed represents a potential security vulnerability. So, what do you think about this? Share your views in the comment box below.
