Headphones Can Be Hacked To Spy On Users

(TeamRock) Headphones can be hacked and used to bug conversations, studies have found. Researchers at Israel's Ben Gurion University have developed a piece of malware which can hijack a computer using plugged in headphones to record audio - even when the device's microphone has been removed or disabled.

The code, named Speak(e)ar, repurposes the speakers in earbuds or headphones to use them as microphones, converting the vibrations in air into electromagnetic signals to clearly capture audio from across a room.

It also uses Realtek audio chips, a common component in many Windows and Mac computers, to re-task the computer's output channel as an input channel, even when the earphones are plugged into an output-only jack.

Their study found that a pair of Sennheiser headphones could be hacked to eavesdrop on a conversation from 20 feet away. The malware then compressed and sent the audio over the internet. Read more and watch a demo video here.