Most Americans were outraged to learn the NSA had been
spying on all of us through our email accounts, phone calls and YouTube
videos. It didn’t help either to learn
the FBI had methods to activate our cameras and microphones on our cell phones,
tablets and computers to listen and watch whenever they wanted.
Now a new vulnerability
has arisen through Google Chrome.
Software
developers can take advantage of this by asking you to
innocently authorize access to your microphone, then listening in even when the
website is closed.
Basically, this allows Google Chrome to be used as a tool to
spy on you, further lessening your privacy at home or work.
To see if you have compromised your microphone, follow these
steps:
1.
Click the Chrome
menu button
2.
Click Settings
3.
Click Show
Advanced Settings
4.
Click Content
Settings
5.
Click Manage Exceptions (under Media)
6.
Look at the list and remove any permissions you
want
Voice recognition is a popular feature, especially with cell
phones and tablets. People love the
ability to talk to their devices in get directions, find restaurants, movies or
whatever their heart desires. However,
are you willing to allow just anyone to listen in and record what you are
saying without your knowledge, just for a bit of convenience?
This weakness in Chrome’s programming was discovered last
September (2013) by Tal Ater, an Israeli programmer. He notified Google and quickly received a
response that programmers were “addressing” the issue. However, four months
have passed and nothing has changed.
Knowing how often we all must monitor our computers for viruses created
by hackers, it does not take much stretch of the imagination to believe someone
will take advantage of this weakness for their own perverse desires.
This video demonstrates how the Google Chrome weakness
works:
Forewarned is forearmed.
Hope this helps.
Resources:
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