Threat Actor: U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) | U.S. National Security Agency
Victim: Android Users | Android Users
Price: N/A
Exfiltrated Data Type: GPS Data, User Activity Data
Key Points :
- Smartphones can be covertly used to monitor users, creating highly accurate maps of living spaces.
- Approximately 90% of Android users are affected by this vulnerability.
- The study achieved a mapping accuracy of 99.6% and tracked human activity with up to 87% precision.
- Data can identify internal layout elements such as elevators, staircases, corridors, and rooms.
- Experts warn that similar vulnerabilities may exist in other smartphones, including iPhones.
- The only way to fully protect oneself is to refrain from using smartphones altogether.
A recent study titled “AndroCon: Conning Location Services in Android” has revealed a disturbing trend: smartphones can be covertly used to monitor users, creating highly accurate maps of their living spaces. By exploiting GPS data across various applications, partially processed information can be obtained without the device owners’ knowledge. These data points enable the environment to be mapped with an astonishing accuracy of 99.6%, and human activity to be tracked in diverse conditions with up to 87% precision. The resulting information can be employed to create detailed floor plans with minimal margin of error.
Currently, this vulnerability affects approximately 90% of Android users. Researchers fear that such data may already be in use by intelligence agencies, such as the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), for monitoring and analyzing user activities.
Although the study was conducted solely on Android devices, experts believe that other smartphones granting applications access to GPS data may also be vulnerable, thus impacting iPhone users as well. The only way to fully protect oneself, according to specialists, is to refrain from using smartphones altogether.
The study covered an extensive period, including data collection in various geographic locations, ranging from mountainous regions to even cruise ships. The acquired data can accurately identify internal layout elements such as elevators, staircases, corridors, and rooms, underscoring the serious threat to user privacy.
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Original Source: https://securityonline.info/androcon-new-study-shows-how-your-phone-can-track-your-every-move-even-indoors/