Your smartphone goes everywhere you go and is integral to your day-to-day life — it's a wonder how we ever lived without them.
In a world where our cellphones have become our lifelines — and because October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month — it begs the question: How safe are they?
For instance, a recent study by a pair of French researchers found that hackers can activate Siri commands on iPhones using radio waves to trigger silent voice commands, if the phone has a pair of headphones with a microphone plugged into its jack. It can also do so with Androids via Google Now.
A hacker can perform this from as far as 16 feet away, and uses the headphones' cords as an antenna to convert electromagnetic waves into electrical signals that appear to be coming from the smartphone user's microphone, according to the research by José Lopes Esteves and Chaouki Kasmi of ANSSI, a French government agency. It was published in the journal IEEE.
Essentially, it tricks the phone into thinking it is responding to the user's voice commands. And it turns out this process relatively simple — all a hacker needs to pull this off are an antenna, a USRP software-defined radio, an amplifier and a laptop.
But there are limitations to this kind of hack: Phones must have microphone-enabled headphones plugged in. It's also likely victims of such an attack would see the phone was receiving commands, so they could stop them before much damage was done. Additionally, Google Now has verification of the owner's voice, as does the new version of Siri for iPhone 6s.
Kasmi and Esteves have contacted Apple and Google with new security recommendations, which include better shielding on headphone cords or an electromagnetic sensor in the phone that could block the attack, according to the study.
Of course, there are all kinds of other threats out there that can affect your smartphone on a daily basis, but many can be avoided by following simple precautions. Here are a few tips to keep in mind, courtesy of the FCC.
1. Set pins and passwords: Prevent unauthorized access to your smartphone by setting a PIN number on your phone's home screen. Newer iPhones also have Touch ID, which serves the same function. Additionally, use different passwords for important logins (email, banking, personal sites).
2. Don't modify your phone's security settings: Tampering with your phone's factory settings — jailbreaking or rooting it — can make it more susceptible to an attack.
3. Be smart on open Wi-Fi networks: Public Wi-Fi networks can make your phone an easy target for cybercriminals. Use protected Wi-Fi when possible, especially when accessing sensitive information.
4. Only install apps from trusted sources: Make sure an app is legitimate before downloading it, as apps from untrusted sources can contain malware. You can confirm legitimacy by checking reviews or comparing the app sponsor's official website with the app store link.
5. Accept updates and patches to your smartphone's software: Keep your phone's operating system up-to-date by enabling automatic updates or accepting them when prompted. This will reduce your risk of exposure to threats.
For more information on mobile security, visit FCC.gov, and also check out the Department of Homeland Security's Stop.Think.Connect. cybersecurity awareness campaign.
