earbuds – Techdirt (original) (raw)

Your Earbuds Can Be Made Into Microphones With Just A Bit Of Malware

from the mic-drop dept

Hyperconnectivity has many positive aspects for many of us, though there are negatives as well. One of the negatives that come along with connectivity is the idea that everything we love can be used to spy on us. Back when prevalent criminal hacking was in the arena of science fiction and broad government surveillance was limited to thematic elements in Orwell novels, the public fear over security exploits like this was limited. Given that the alphabet agencies continue to be shown to use our devices to spy on us, however, Americans likely look more warily at their favorite technology than they did a decade ago. Everything, it seems, is a vector for an invasion of your privacy.

Including, potentially, your headphones. Israeli researchers have shown how, with the aid of some malware, your headphones can be converted into microphones in order to listen in on whatever you happen to be doing.

Researchers at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have created a piece of proof-of-concept code they call “Speake(a)r,” designed to demonstrate how determined hackers could find a way to surreptitiously hijack a computer to record audio even when the device’s microphones have been entirely removed or disabled. The experimental malware instead repurposes the speakers in earbuds or headphones to use them as microphones, converting the vibrations in air into electromagnetic signals to clearly capture audio from across a room.

“People don’t think about this privacy vulnerability,” says Mordechai Guri, the research lead of Ben Gurion’s Cyber Security Research Labs. “Even if you remove your computer’s microphone, if you use headphones you can be recorded.”

And, just like that, I’ll never look at my favorite set of earbuds the same way again. What this ultimately points out is that determined hackers will find creative ways to use our own devices against us. That isn’t new. What is new seems to be the never ending reports of how devices, be they IoT devices or not, can be repurposed for nefarious ends. The use of all of this by our own government, as well as our government’s request for backdoors built into technology, only increases the threat vectors for this type of thing.

This particular exploit relies on ubiquitous RealTek codec chips, which can be instructed by the malware used to switch an output channel to an input channel. Those chips are everywhere and there is no current method to secure them via a patch or update.

There’s no simple software patch for the eavesdropping attack, Guri says. The property of RealTek’s audio codec chips that allows a program to switch an output channel to an input isn’t an accidental bug so much as a dangerous feature, Guri says, and one that can’t be easily fixed without redesigning and replacing the chip in future computers.

Until then, paranoiacs take note: If determined hackers are out to bug your conversations, all your careful microphone removal surgery isn’t quite enough—you’ll also need to unplug that pair of cheap earbuds hanging around your neck.

When even our headphones are a potential enemy, the world has gone mad.

Filed Under: earbuds, microphones, privacy

Awesome Stuff: Taming Unruly Cables

from the wires-wires-everywhere dept

While wireless technologies are amazing, it still seems we’re stuck with plenty of cables around all the time, from charging cables to headphones and more. Most people don’t do much to organize them, or they go with the simplest route. Personally, I’ve been using twist ties to keep cables organized on my desk and it seems to do the job. I know there are a bunch of cable organizer products on the market already, but apparently a bunch of new ones have recently launched crowdfunding campaigns, so let’s take a look, for this week’s awesome stuff post.

• First up, we’ve got the QooQi, which is a simple device for your desk to organize cables. You have to watch the video to understand how it works, but it’s a very simple and intuitive way of organizing your cables and keeping them in order. It has a nano pad on the bottom to help it stick to flat surfaces easily.
  The project is already just slightly over its $10,000 goal, and has more than three weeks to go, so chances are it will get at least double the goal.
• Next up, we’ve got the Kordl, which is a very, very simple plastic device that connects to your headphones to keep them from getting tangled. It doesn’t tie them up entirely, but rather just connects the two ends to each other, which prevents tangling. As they explain, they’re using the “rubber band vs. spaghetti theory” in that single strands, such as spaghetti, get easily tangled and tied up, where as loops, like rubber bands, tend not to get as tangled (they haven’t seen my rubber band drawer… ).
  This one is also well past its target of 7,500,withabouttwomoreweekstogo.Personally,7,500, with about two more weeks to go. Personally, 7,500,withabouttwomoreweekstogo.Personally,5 for such a simple bit of plastic seemed a bit on the steep side, but I’m sure people sick of tangled ear bud cables might find it worth it to avoid the annoying process of untangling.
• If the Kordl isn’t really what you’re looking for, there’s an alternative, called Loop for organizing a variety of cables, including ear buds, but also power cables, USB cables and more. It’s also a fairly simple concept, but executed nicely. Basically a simple attachment to the cable that makes it easy to wrap up our cables when you’re done. My Thinkpad power cable comes with a similar velcro strip, and I always wondered why so few cables came with something similar, so the Loop looks like an easy way to retrofit other cables to do the same sort of thing.
  This one has only raised about 1,000outof1,000 out of 1,000outof5,000 targeted, but there’s still a month to go. Again, the pricing here seems slightly high — 10fortwo—whenitfeelsmorelike10 for two — when it feels more like 10fortwo—whenitfeelsmorelike10 should get you a pack of four or five of these things, but again perhaps I underestimate the demand and the production costs. One other oddity, it appears there’s a nearly identical campaign to the Kickstarter campaign, except it’s over at IndieGoGo, and it’s raised no money at all, with just a week to go. It’s not unheard of to see projects appear on both major crowdfunding platforms but it does seem like a relatively rare occurrence. Even more bizarre: the pricing is more expensive on IndieGoGo. No wonder it has no buyers while Kickstarter at least has a few.

That’s all for this week. Stay organized.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, cables, earbuds, organization

Awesome Stuff: Earbuds Are So Last Decade

from the moving-on... dept

If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember what the headphones for the original walkmen looked like. Of course, nowadays they look pretty dated. How long will it be until today’s earbuds face the same fate? Today’s awesome stuff post looks at three crowdfunding projects that look at rather different ways to get sound into your head.

• Okay, this first one isn’t just about the sound, but it’s the sound part that stands out. Ever since the Pebble smartwatch became the most successful Kickstarter project ever, a number of other smartwatches have popped up on Kickstarter, IndieGoGo and some other crowdfunding platforms as well. I got one of the original Pebbles, and it’s really made me rethink the watch as a computing device/accessory to a smartphone. I’d stopped wearing watches years ago, but the Pebble has actually made my phone much more useful, and I already realize that we’re only seeing the very, very early stages of what can be done with smartwatches. In fact, many of the crowdfunded watches that have followed have raised the bar with cool new features. The latest, the HOT Watch, takes things to a new level: with a bizarre speaker/projection system built into the watchband that lets you cup your hand over your ear and use your hand as if it were a phone. This picture shows how it works:
  
  The little thing sticking out of the watchband projects the sound up, and (they claim) it’s just like holding a regular phone conversation — private to you so others can’t hear it. The video also demonstrates how it works, though I’d imagine some people might question the quality.
  The smartwatch itself has some other cool features, including multitouch screen, gesture commands and a variety of other stuff. Basically, if it’s been in another smartwatch, it’s in this one too. Of course, if you thought that people looked goofy talking on those tiny bluetooth headsets, I’d imagine that you might think holding your empty hand up to your ear might look fairly goofy as well. Also, I’d imagine that this won’t suffice as a “handsfree” option while driving, though it might confuse the hell out of police if they pull you over. Either way, this project shot past its initial goal very quickly and still has about a month left.
• Next up, we’ve got the Sound Band, which is designed to be a direct replacement for today’s earbuds, but without putting anything in or over your ears. Instead, it uses surface sound technology, touching your head right behind your ears, to make it work. The contraption hangs over the top of your ears, but wraps around the back of your head with the actual surface sound touch part hiding behind your ears. Basically, if you see someone wearing it from head on, you probably won’t even notice that they’re wearing a form of headphones. The benefits of this are that you can still hear other stuff out of your ears — which can be a real problem with earbuds that shut off all the sound around you. Of course, there are some situations where people like using earbuds or headphones to block out all other sounds, but you could see areas where this would be cool. Though, again like the project above, there are elements about using this where people might look at you like a crazy person because it will look like you’re talking to yourself with nothing in your ear. Also, from behind your head, it definitely has a fairly dorky look to it, with a giant rectangle dangling on your neck. Still, I’m guessing many people might just think you’ve got hearing problems and have a hearing aid.
  The project hasn’t quite reached its goal of $175,000, but it’s not that far away, and still has well over a month left, so will almost definitely surpass the goal.
• And, finally, we’ve got the Syphon Soundwrap. It is what it says, basically. It’s a “wrap” that acts as a sort of headphone, without having to use earbuds. The target market is people involved in action sports — so you would put this wrap inside a helmet or a hat while you ride a motorcycle, a bike or go snowboarding or something — and be able to listen to your music, without having to have earbuds sticking in the whole time (which can start to hurt if you wear them too long).
  These guys had a much more modest goal of $20,000, and are already just a bit over it with about a week and a half left to go. The market may be a lot smaller and more targeted than the general use market, but it seems that within that market, there’s pretty good interest.

And that’s it this week. Go spend some quality time with your earbuds, because they might soon be a thing of the past.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, earbuds, smartwatch, sound, surface sound