Paranoid or Prepared? The spies on your desk

I usually receive questions about why I have a sticker on ambient light sensors my laptops and phone. Some think I don't know the difference between a light sensor and a camera and try to explain to me that this is not a camera. Na ka era sega ni kila oya ni rawa ni vakayagataki na mata ni rarama e veivakacakacaka vakalivaliva me ra kumuna na itukutuku me vaka ni o ira e kamera lailai.

Au dau rogoca sara mai vei ira na tamata: “Ia e sega ni ka eda lewai kina!” Io, E tiko vei iko eso tale na ka me veivakaleqai mai vei iko na vakasama, ka rawa ni veivakacoboci na nomu itukutuku vata kei na so tale na itukutuku era kumuni e dua na vanua me tauri kina na vakasama e sega ni nomu ganita ni rawa. Ke ra sa kumuna na itukutuku era sega dina ni nodra gagadre vinaka. Na nomu itukutuku rawa ni kumuni vakadrua mai vei ira na tamata dau vakacacani me vakatovotovo kina na AI ka vakayagataki me veisau eso na inaki kei na gagadre.

E na cybersecurity, edau vakakasama ni me ra rawata na leqa e dua na mataqali, ka tiko e dua na gauna me rawata edua na leqa, ena rawa ni tiko na inaki me rawata era na leqa qori. We do not assume that those who can collect the data always have legitimate cause to collect that data. We also do not assume only a single party or entity exploit a vulnerability to collects that data.

Below is a list of other things that can be used to spy on you that you probably don’t know have such capabilities.

Your TV speaker can listen to you

I am one of those who usually choose a TV model without a microphone or camera before I need to physically remove those devices. I also have a home firewall and a secured internal network, but I have learned throughout the years not to only rely on logical controls. However, based on a WikiLeaks release in 2017 and documents from 2014, the CIA (in cooperation with MI5) turned speakers in certain TV models into microphones to collect data. They even developed a fake off mode to show that the TV is off when they collect those conversations. If you think your TV might listen to your conversation, it is better to unplug it when not in use. It also saves you some energy because pluggged devices even while not in use may consume some electric.

Your tablet or laptop light sensor can capture your hand or your image

I always adjust screen light manually, and I believe I have a good reason for that.

The ambient light sensor is used to measure the amount of light and to adjust the brightness of the screen. Ambient light sensors can be used to capture images or keystrokes to steal passwords and data. E dua na ilawalawa ni dauvakadidike ni MIT se qai tauyavutaka wale tikoga oqo e dua na ivakadinadina ni vakasama ena kena vakayagataki na ivakatakilakila ni liga ni dua na Android tablet ka toboka na sensor ni rarama ambient me toboka na veitaratara ni tara.

E rawa ni vakarorogo na nomu mouse ki na nomu veivosaki

Oqo e vakararawataki! E sega ni tiko e dua na mouse se dua mada ga na vosa me vuki ki na dua na microphone me vakarorogo ki na dua na ka. However, e tiko e dua na ravuravu ni sala ni yasana e kilai vaka “Mic-E-Mouse” ka rawa kina vua e dua na dauvakacaca me vakarorogo ki na nomu veivosaki mai na nomu mouse .

E dua na mouse ni qito cakacaka cecere (DPI cecere) e rawa ni hijacked mai na kena sensor optika, so when you talk, voice vibrations can be measured with these sensors. Using machine learning algorithms and data from mouse sensors, security researchers can identify intelligible speech from vibrations.

Side channel attacks are a type of physical attack that measures changes in device output while a device performs an action. This type of attack is usually more sophisticated and targets certain assets like encryption keys. However, if an attack method is developed for certain types of devices, it won’t be very difficult to expand it to other similar devices and even automate it.

Motion sensors (gyroscope) can be used to record your voice

Now that we learned your mouse can be used to record your talking, it’s good to know that motion sensors can also be used for the same purpose. This is important as almost all modern smart devices like phones and tablets have a gyroscope or motion sensor. The sensor acts as a vibrating device, making it perfect for side-channel attacks and to capture voice, as sound waves can produce tiny vibrations.

Your hard disk drive (HDD) noise can be capture to steal sensitive data

Now that we've learned about side channel attacks, there is a type of attack called DiskFiltration developed by a group of Israeli researchers that can capture sensitive data from the sound of a hard disk drive working. This type of attack is sophisticated and aims at devices with an air gap. With air gapped devices, a device is not connected to any network like the internet and is usually kept at sensitive facilities. Air gapped devices are not necessarily immune from cyber attacks. A classic example of these attacks is Stuxnet which target Iranian nuclear systems that were all air gapped.

In this type of attack, an attacker infects the device with malware that changes how the device operates. The malware can be introduced to the system by an intruder or through other methods. The device is air gapped, so the malware can’t send anything outside. However, it makes the device operate in a certain way so that the drive arm moves in certain patterns. A nearby smartphone or device that is not air gapped can be used to capture the sound of the hard disk drive to decode it back to data while it is written or read on disk effectively removing the air gap.

Your computer fan can compromise your data

You have an SSD on your system and don’t use a cheap and noisy HDD. So if your device is air gapped, then sensitive data cannot be exfiltrated. Io! Another group of Israeli researchers invented a method for you. Although your SSD doesn't have an arm to rotate to make noise like with an HDD, your computer fan can be used to capture sound to compromise sensitive data from your air gapped computer. In this type of attack, malware first infects the air gapped system (maybe by an intruder to a secure facility), then the speed of the cooling fan will be changed in certain patterns. The sound can transmit the data to a near listening device.

WiFi signals can see through your walls

WiFi signals bounce off humans in a room. Researchers can see through walls to know how many people are in the room and identify individuals by movement and posture without needing any camera.