As the iPhones and other smartphones are taking over the market, security is one key issue many are choosing to ignore. Not any more! Internet reported today that according to new research by the Georgia Institute of Technology it was actually possible to use keystrokes that could be logged on your iPhone’s accelerometer.
Accelerometer is the sensor that tells your iPhone which direction it is facing. According to Patrick Traynor, assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Computer Science, in order for the attack to work, an iPhone would need to be within a few inches of a computer’s keyboard, and the logging software would need to be active ont he device being attacked.
“When the iPhone is positioned within a few inches of a computer keyboard, it can kinetically capture the keyboard’s physical vibration. The attack method has so far shown an 80 percent success rate, says Traynor. “Every time you touch a key you create a physical vibration and it’s recorded by the accelerometer in the phone.”
The vibration created by pressing on your iPhone actually creates a slight vibration which is then registered by the built-in accelerometer. The vibration itself helps the software to pinpoint where on the screen the user tapped and the software decides which keys were pressed.
This being technically possible is however really hard to do but as a proof of concept proves that smart phones are extremely susceptible to hacks.