Boffins spy on iPhone screens from 200ft away North Carolina boffins have been watching text entered into iPhones from 60 meters (197ft) behind the shoulders of users – or from the front, by reading the reflections in the users' glasses. The process uses a standard video camera. It is even possible using an iPhone's camera, though the range decreases and relies on the …
Hmm, so who exactly would do this type of reflecto eavesdropping? Spies? Private investigators?
This shouldn't impact on Mr. and Mrs. Average
Another thing, most people tend to look down at the phone screen when sending texts, anyone who holds their smartphones at 90º when sending a text is probably a digital exhibitionist
Who needs to hold it at 90º? It's working on the reflection. Even if I had it on my lap, I'd only be tilting my head around 40-60 degrees, giving anyone in front of me with a perfect view via my (in this case non-existent) glasses.
The biggest flaw in the scheme is that glasses wearers are in the minority.
Interesting work, but it still requires a steady handed operator plus stationary and unaware subject, or can they carry out this analysis from composite CCTV footage?
Surely easier, more reliable, but probably less deniable, to intercept at the network message centre end.
...tend to appear in plaintext, one character at a time.
r
*i
**g
***h
****t
*****?
It's stupid, probably has its legacy in traditional "dumb" phones with their iffy t9 text entry mechanisms, and is a feature that needs to be able to be disabled on any smartphone or tablet. It's a little annoying having to hunch over the screen on the bus like someone trying to roll a sneaky joint without anybody seeing it.
My first reaction was 'Oh, for f***s sake', but I can see it working under perfect conditions. The next CSI will have them reading the key presses off the reflection off an eyeball using a CCTV camera 2 miles away.
One thought I had is that you don't have to be able to read the letter that pops up, you just need to know where it is reasonably accurately. The letters pop up in specific places when you hit keys on the keyboard.
Of course, it won't work when the iThing starts to struggle for CPU or RAM, your typing gets ahead of it and all the letters appear in one go...
I think the implication was that the study was done on iphones, for whatever reason.
The headline reflects this.
If you feel so offended by the mere possibility that your product is insecure that you simply must flame an author of a news article, you probably shouldn't be allowed use any technology whatsoever.
All products suffer from security flaws. It's simply a byproduct of legacy technology (whether backwards-compat support or hardware), and also large amounts of code.
Though to be fair, the paper is simply REFLECTIVE SURFACES REFLECT. SHOCKER.
-AC, was hoping people were still playing with Van Eck Phreaking.
PS: [Mac|PC|Linux|obscure OS] SUXX0RS ROFLMAO LOL [Apple|Microsoft|Open Source Movement|etc] CNT CODE XD
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