Hacking: Radio waves can be used to eaveson phone conversations – Researchers

You might think that Siri and Google work as your personal assistant, but they may also be taking orders from hackers. French researchers have found the smartphone assistants can be controlled by hackers from as far away as 16ft (five metres). They say radio waves can be used to trigger voice commands on iPhones and […]

You might think that Siri and Google work as your personal assistant, but they may also be taking orders from hackers.
French researchers have found the smartphone assistants can be controlled by hackers from as far away as 16ft (five metres).
They say radio waves can be used to trigger voice commands on iPhones and Android handsets with Siri or Google now enabled, providing a set of headphones are plugged in.
The research, by France’s information security agency, ANSSI, suggests criminals could take control of handsets and eavesdrop on conversations, but it’s not known whether the trick has been exploited in the real world.
The hack, demonstrated by the researchers, is possible by using the headphone’s cord as an antenna, Wired’s Andy Greenberg reported.
This means hackers could use open-source radio software running on a laptop, an antenna and amplifier to send electromagnetic waves picked up by the headphone cord from close range.