If you see anything suspicious in the sky of London, you can disable WiFi on your phone. The researchers tested a new type of cyber piracy in the city with quadrirotor hovering above when collecting data from your smartphone. Although people behind this experiment are not malicious, technology could easily fall into the wrong hands.
A Drone Snoopy named
The UAV used in this experiment is SensePost nicknamed "Snoopy". Unfortunately, the technology is not necessarily as sweet and innocent as the namesake of the project. The project was presented to the Conference in 2012 44Con in London. The researchers shared the results of most recent tests with the drone at Black Hat conference's cybersecurity Asia in March 2014.
At the security conference, developer Glenn Wilkinson BBC offered an overview of the technology. Within minutes, he had smartphone information of hundreds of Black Hat attendees. Believe it or not, however, this trick is far from original - Wilkinson said it collected data each participating security conference he attended in the last 18 months. After collecting the information, it presents participants with pictures of their home or office to highlight the powerful potential of this smart drone.
How Snoopy Works
Although the concept of a drone fly your smartphone data may seem revolutionary, none of the technology used in the device is new. Snoopy simply uses an intelligent combination of existing technology and takes to the air where previous products of this kind remained earthbound.
Snoopy brings smartphone data using unsecured WiFi connections. Many smartphone users leave their WiFi at all times. The phone continually sends signals to the search of familiar networks. Snoopy intercepts these signals and uses them as an entry point to gather valuable user information.
What is your WiFi connections Say About You
Even before Snoopy has accessed your most valuable data, it can build a profile on you based on your previous WiFi connections . Your home and work are likely included in your busiest networks next to restaurants, cafes, libraries and schools, among others. A profile that includes executive offices of a Fortune 500 company and upscale restaurants will make you a more attractive target than the one that offers the McDonald WiFi and the local library.
The use of location-based services, Snoopy can even plot your WiFi network, honing in on your area and office. Even when you are not actively connected to a wireless network, your phone is busy to check connections nearby. For Snoopy, your smartphone is practically scream "Home WiFi, are you there? Starbucks WiFi, are you there?"
Use your connections against you
When Snoopy intercepts a signal looking for a WiFi network, it can do more than just map where your favorite networks. Snoopy can impersonate your phone networks of trust, making you believe that you are securely connected to a source of well-known WiFi when you are really connected via Snoopy.
While you are unconsciously using the Internet via WiFi Snoopy, the drone has access to all the information and data you send across the connection. Within minutes, the drone can collect your passwords, bank account information and other personal details. This is a quick and easy way for hackers to gather credit card numbers or other data needed to steal your identity.
When developers have tested the UAV in London, they collected Amazon, PayPal and Yahoo data. The drone collected network names from 150 different devices in just one hour.
The purpose of Snoopy
Snoopy developers themselves as ethical hackers. The technology they use to collect names of metadata and network are not illegal, although the interception of passwords and financial data with the intention of using it would be. The purpose of Snoopy is to demonstrate the threats posed by this type of technology. When consumers and developers are aware of the potential for this type of drone, they can better themselves and their technology against it protected.
potential
The drones Snoopy Snoopy carrying have amazing abilities. They can fly high enough to avoid visual detection. Hovering where you can not see or hear them, these drones can illustrate an ever present danger. The potential of this technology is almost unlimited. Law enforcement could use to track criminals and smartphone business. Meanwhile, criminals could find many illegal uses for such a product.
How to protect Drones like Snoopy
There's really only one way to protect yourself from technology Snoopy. You must activate your WiFi off whenever you are not using a trusted network. This will silence the persistent virtual voice your phone is always in search of a connection that it can use. When your Wi-Fi is enabled, your phone is searching for a way to connect and drones as Snoopy can easily hear the message.
Check the settings on your phone and learn to turn WiFi on and off. When you leave your home or office, make a habit of turning off the WiFi during your trip, if you want to protect yourself technology as Snoopy.
The Dangers of Unsecured WiFi
As mentioned, the technology uses Snoopy to collect user data are not really new. Public WiFi networks have always presented very real dangers that users should be aware. Snoopy or not, if you often connect WiFi hotspots in your local coffee shop, for example, you could be exposing your data cyber criminals.
"Man-in-the-middle attacks" are a common way for cyber criminals to steal your data. Hackers can fit between your device and the public WiFi network, intercept any data you send. If you check your bank accounts, connecting to Amazon, or make a payment with PayPal, valuable information of these operations is exposed to pirate.
development Snoopy is a giant red flag to help you demonstrate the dangers of WiFi. This device perfectly shows that even if your phone is safely tucked away in your pocket, it's always a lighthouse filled with personal data, ripe for the picking with the right technology.
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