Guest_Jim_* Posted November 23, 2016 Posted November 23, 2016 Those who are more privacy and security conscious might do things like covering webcams and microphones, to prevent someone from attacking their computer and observing them. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, however, have demonstrated this might not be enough as speakers and headphones can be turned into microphones. Physically the speakers, headphones, and earphones are similar to microphones with elements that can convert sound waves to electrical pulses, but normally doing so in the opposite direction. What the researchers have demonstrated is that intelligible signals can be recorded by remapping or retasking an output audio jack to be an input. Potential means to combat a piece of malware taking advantage of this attack includes disabling the audio hardware, having the audio driver alert the user when microphones are accessed, and creating restrictions on how audio ports can be rejaked. Source: American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Back to original news post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted November 24, 2016 Posted November 24, 2016 Yea this is nothing new I found this out like 35 years ago and I did not have to research it all I did was plug something into the wrong port and all of a sudden I had a MIC but they were my speakers...lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted November 24, 2016 Posted November 24, 2016 Yeah, this isn't anything new. I think most people in college these days have zero clue what a literature search is... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted November 25, 2016 Posted November 25, 2016 From more reading on the net I guess they are doing it through software by changing the speaker port to become a mic port. This is little different than what I was talking about in my first post but still the same idea but now they are exploiting the feature through the software to gain access to what you are saying. I guess sometimes features made to make life better end up making things worse once someone learns how to exploit them. I am glad I have a Creative labs sound card in my main rig the ports do not change on the audigy 4 pro card they are hardwired to do each task and nothing more. I think you have to worry more if you have onboard sound or cheaper sound cards that have the feature built into the audio chip set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted November 25, 2016 Posted November 25, 2016 If your machine is compromised, a mic is the last thing I'd be worrying about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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