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Researchers Develop New Way To Steal Passwords Using Google Glass
mpicpp writes with a story about researchers who have developed a way to steal passwords using video-capturing devices.Cyber forensics experts at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell have developed a way to steal passwords entered on a smartphone or tablet using video from Google's face-mounted gadget and other video-capturing devices. The thief can be nearly ten feet away and doesn't even need to be able to read the screen — meaning glare is not an antidote. The security researchers created software that maps the shadows from fingertips typing on a tablet or smartphone. Their algorithm then converts those touch points into the actual keys they were touching, enabling the researchers to crack the passcode. They tested the algorithm on passwords entered on an Apple iPad, Google's Nexus 7 tablet, and an iPhone 5.
Time to trademark a 'No Glass Allowed' symbol.
TLDR - Researchers steal passwords by watching them being entered.
electronic keypads should randomize the numeric order and that the device should not mirror the letter typed on the inout line or on the keypad.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
I suppose you can be more subtle about it, but really any video cam would work just as well. Especially if you set it up near a place where people will be typing a useful password instead of loitering and staring at people.
For the last couple of years I have been completely covering any input I give to a phone unlock or ATM PIN given. With cameras everywhere, this was only a matter of time.
We should learn what we need to know about issues, before we decide what we need to feel about them.
As the video points out, this is not limited to Google Glass, any video capturing device will work. But beyond that, this is really kind of obvious. Yeah, video recording someone entering their password on a touch device will give you a fairly accurate idea of what that password is. Record, playback at 1/4 speed, password. I would bet that security camera footage might even be better to work with due to the angle. The custom software I suppose is a nice achievement, but I would guess it's not all that necessary.
I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
The fact that the device is out in the open when the password is entered is the problem here.
There's one technology that solves this problem, and that technology is genital recognition. It works like a password, but it depends on the unique pattern exhibited by each individual's genitalia.
When a password needs to be entered, the user puts the phone down his or her pants/skirt/dress/whatever, and presses the screen against his or her genitalia. The pattern is then analyzed and compared against known data points modeling the genitalia. If there is a match, then the authentication succeeds. If there is not a match, then the authentication fails.
The important thing to remember is that the authentication happens in a secure area: within one's underwear. This helps prevent observers from deducing the password based on visible effects such as shadows and reflections.
Researchers Develop New Way To Steal Passwords Using a video camera
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