A group of computer scientists have found a new vulnerability that allows hackers to take over the control from your smartphones through the tiny accelerometers.
Accelerometers are tiny devices which registers motion signals in smartphones, fitness monitors and even automobiles. The hackers could easily generate a fake motion using sound waves, and then they could exploit accelerometers.
Computer Scientist at University of Michigan told The New York Times, "It's like the opera singer who hits the note to break a wine glass, only in our case, we can spell out words."
"You can think of it as a musical virus."
Fu's team investigated on the sensors called capacitive MEMS accelerometers, which could register change in speed of a object in three dimensions.
Fu explains in a press release,"Thousands of everyday devices already contain tiny MEMS accelerometers."
"Tomorrow's devices will aggressively rely on sensors to make automated decisions with kinetic consequences."