[News] Malware Can Enable Surveillance By Turning Headphones Into Microphones

[StyM]

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/mal...nes,33085.html

Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel revealed that malware can turn headphones into microphones.

"Interestingly, the audio chipsets in modern motherboards and sound cards include an option to change the function of an audio port at a software level, a type of audio port programming sometimes referred to as jack retasking or jack remapping," the researchers explained in a paper about the exploit. "This option is available on Realtek's (Realtek Semiconductor Corp.) audio chipsets, which are integrated into a wide range of PC motherboards today."

The team demonstrated this concept with software it dubbed SPEAKE(a)R. It works by essentially reversing the process used to transfer sounds between a computer and the headphones connected to it. Instead of driving a current through a coil in a magnetic field to produce sounds, which is how PCs send audio to headphones, SPEAKE(a)R uses headphones to capture sound and convert it to a current sent via the coil to a PC. Ta-da! Easy surveillance.

[Sparky]

This is nothing new. You have always been able to use a speaker as a microphone -albeit an extremely crappy one.

It doesn't work with amplified speakers because the amplifier doesn't work both directions.

Only "new" thing is the malware that could switch your audio output into an input, but even then that isn't probably all that new or hard to do. And it would be easily noticed if you went to use your headphones and they didn't work because the mode was switched.

But, I guess if you're scared that everyone is always listening, just use a simple amp on your headphones. The amp only works one way so it wouldn't let your headphones work as a microphone.

[drmrlordx]

Or just go without speakers/headphones. You'll learn to appreciate your case fans just that much more!

[Sparky]

For what it is worth, I tried this with my headphones and I had to have them a few inches from my face and I had to practically yell into them to get any half decent audio recording. Just sitting on my desk they picked up practically nothing.