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. Chavasina ruzivo nezvacho ndechekuti masensa emwenje wepamusoro anogona kushandiswa nemaitiro ekudzidza kwemuchina kuti abudise data sekunge ari makamera asina kusimba.

Kazhinji ndinonzwa kubva kuvanhu: “Asi hatina zvakavanzika!” Zvakanaka, une zvakawanda zvekuvanza kupfuura zvaunofunga, uye data rako rinogona kusanganiswa nedzimwe data dzakatorwa kubva kwauri kune dzimwe nzvimbo kugadzira ruzivo paboka raunogona kusafungidzira. Uye avo vanounganidza data havasi nguva dzose vane zvinangwa zvakanaka. Data rako rinogona kuunganidzwa nevamwe vatambi vane njodzi kuti riongororwe uchishandisa AI uye rishandiswe kune zvimwe zvinangwa uye zvinangwa.

Muzvekuchengetedzwa kwekombiyuta, tinofungidzira kuti kana rudzi rwekurwiswa ruchibvira uye paine mukana wekuparidza kurwisa, ipapo panogona kunge paine chikonzero chekuparidza kurwiswa kwakadaro. 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. Ivo vakatogadzira fake off mode kuratidza kuti TV yadzimwa pavanounganidza hurukuro idzodzo. Kana iwe uchifunga kuti TV yako inogona kuteerera hurukuro yako, zviri nani kuisunungura kana isiri kushandiswa. Inokuponerawo imwe simba nekuti zvishandiso zvakavharwa kunyangwe zvisiri kushandiswa zvinogona kushandisa imwe magetsi.

Tablet yako kana laptop mwenje sensor inogona kutora ruoko rwako kana mufananidzo wako

Ini ndinogara ndichigadzirisa mwenje wechidzitiro nemaoko, uye ndinotenda ndine chikonzero chakanaka cheizvozvo.

Iyo ambient mwenje sensor inoshandiswa kuyera huwandu hwechiedza uye kugadzirisa kupenya kwechidzitiro. Ambient mwenje sensors inogona kushandiswa kutora mifananidzo kana keystrokes kuba mapassword uye data. Boka re MIT vaongorori nguva pfupi yadarika yakagadzira humbowo hwepfungwa nekushandisa Android piritsi remaoko rakatorwa neiyo ambient mwenje sensor kutora kutaurirana kwekubata.

Mbeva yako inogona kuteerera hurukuro yako

Iyi inosemesa! Mbeva haina maikorofoni kana kunyange mutauri kuti ishandurwe kuita maikorofoni kuteerera chero chinhu. However, kune divi chiteshi kurwisa kunozivikanwa se “Mic-E-Mouse” iyo inogonesa anorwisa kuti ateerere hurukuro dzako kuburikidza nembeva yako.

mbeva yemitambo yepamusoro (yakakwira DPI) inogona kubiwa neiyo optical sensor, saka paunotaura, kudengenyeka kwezwi kunogona kuyerwa nema sensors aya. Uchishandisa muchina wekudzidza algorithms uye data kubva kumakonzo sensors, vaongorori vekuchengetedza vanogona kuona kutaura kunonzwisisika kubva mukudengenyeka.

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 captured 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 to cyber attacks. A classical example of these attacks is Stuxnet which targeted Iranian nuclear systems that were all air gapped.

Mune rudzi urwu rwekurwiswa, munyengeri anopfekedza mudziyo nerudzi rwe malware runochinja maitiro emudziyo. Malware inogona kuendeswa musystem nemumwe anopinda zvakapinda kana nemamwe nzira. Mudziyo wakazvimiririra kubva pane network (air gapped), saka malware haigone kutumira chinhu kunze. However, inoita kuti mudziyo ushande nenzira yakati kuti kuti ruoko rwe drive rifambe mumapeteni akati kuti. Foni iri pedyo kana mudziyo usiri kuparadzaniswa ne network inogona kushandiswa kubata ruzha rwe hard disk drive kuti dururire ruzivo zvakare ku disk panguva yekunyora kana kuverenga zvinoshanda kubvisa air gap.

Fan yemakomputa ako inogona kukanganisa ruzivo rwako

Une SSD pa system yako uye haushandisi HDD isina mutengo yakanyanya uye ine ruzha. Saka kana mudziyo wako wakazvimiririra kubva pa network, zvino ruzivo runyoro harugoni kuburitswa. Zvakanaka! Imwe boka revatsvagiri veIsraeri vakagadzira nzira kwauri. Kunyangwe SSD yako isina ruoko rwekutendeuka kugadzira ruzha sekuita kweHDD, feni yekombiyuta yako inogona kushandiswa kubata ruzha kuti ityore mashoko akakosha kubva pakombiyuta yako isina kubatanidzwa neinternet. Mune rudzi urwu rwekurwiswa, malware inotanga yabatwa nehurongwa hwakadzivirirwa (pamwe nemumwe muparadzi kunzvimbo yakachengetedzwa), wozotevera, kumhanya kwefeni yekutonhodza kuchachinjwa nemaitiro akati wandei. Ruzha runokwanisa kutumira mashoko kuhurumende kana mudziyo uri pedyo unoteerera.

Zviratidzo zveWiFi zvinogona kuona nepamadziro ako

Zviratidzo zveWiFi zvinodzoka pamusoro pevanhu vari mukamuri. Vatsvagiri vanokwanisa kuona kuburikidza nemadziro kuti vazive kuti vanhu vangani vari mukamuri uye kuziva vanhu pachavo nekufamba kwavo uye chimiro pasina kamera.