Popular Science is reporting on a disturbing new reality for smartphone users. We have all developed a street smart savfiness when it comes to not opening suspicious links that could potentially dump a harmful virus or malware (malicious/malevolent software) onto our hard drives. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, however, have discovered a new species of malware that, once uploaded onto your phone, can be activated remotely with ambient sound and light.
Popular Science writes: “[Once] certain kinds of malware is installed, it can be triggered or controlled with hidden messages, undetectable to humans, embedded within innocuous sounds or lights. Music, music videos, and light from the TV could call previously-installed malware to action or tell it what to do … The method relies on one of the primary strengths of smartphones: they’re always on, always connected, and always feeling around with audio and visual sensors.”
Researchers also discovered this type of malware can be activated from as far away as 55-feet. You can learn more about the discovery by visiting the website of The University of Alabama.
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