SMARTPHONE camera and microphone has been adapted to steal PINs

Researchers from the University of Cambridge said what digital codes (eg , PIN- codes) are recruited on the smartphone screen, can be stolen by hackers using a camera and microphone device on Android. The method of "hacking" says the report, scientists, published on the website of the university.

For a successful theft requires that the microphone while dialing recorded the sound of blows your finger across the screen, and the front camera - filming the video. Recorded sounds are related to the video frames. It then examines how the placement of objects in each of the correlated frames. Scientists argue that based on this information, you can identify exactly which buttons to press on the keypad the user.

To prove that the technique works, the researchers created an application PIN Skimmer, which performs the above actions. After two attempts, the program correctly guessed 30 percent of the fifty-four digit code entered on the smartphone. After five attempts to correctly recognize the code share exceeded 50 percent.


Increasing complexity does PINs resistant to theft, developers have noted the method. In a trial with 200 octets codes PIN Skimmer program after five attempts to correctly recognize 45 percent of the code, and after ten attempts - 60 percent of the codes.

The researchers stressed that the method works including on smartphones, where there are built-in security, in particular, on the Galaxy S III with the Knox - she devotes to the personal device ( "dangerou" ) and working ( "safe" ) environment. Although the application of the personal environment can not have access to the screen of the application fluid, it is able to read data from the sensors, including the camera and a microphone.

Earlier, in 2011, scientists from the University of California at Davis demonstrated (PDF), that the "spy ", which buttons on the virtual keyboard clicks the user can also use the motion sensors in the smartphone: the gyroscope and accelerometer. The larger screen on the unit, the higher the probability of successful recognition of passwords.