Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Google Glass wearers can steal your PIN with a glance

SAN FRANCISCO — Google Glass can be used to covertly steal people’s personal identification number (PIN) codes from as far away as 3m, researchers have warned.

Researchers tested a range of devices including Google Glass, which went on sale in the UK earlier this week with a S$2,120 price tag, as well as an iPhone 5, a Samsung smartwatch and a Logitech webcam. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Researchers tested a range of devices including Google Glass, which went on sale in the UK earlier this week with a S$2,120 price tag, as well as an iPhone 5, a Samsung smartwatch and a Logitech webcam. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

SAN FRANCISCO — Google Glass can be used to covertly steal people’s personal identification number (PIN) codes from as far away as 3m, researchers have warned.

Just by looking at someone’s tablet or smartphone, wearers of the new controversial device can detect and record four-digit codes.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the United States developed software to analyse the movements of people’s fingers in order to see if they could decipher PIN codes.

A range of devices were tested including Google Glass, which went on sale in the United Kingdom earlier this week with a £1,000 (S$2,120) price tag, as well as an iPhone 5, a Samsung smartwatch and a Logitech webcam.

They found they could use video from wearable technology, such as the Glass, to surreptitiously pick up four-digit PIN codes.

Video captured by Glass produced a correct four-digit PIN from 3m away with 83 per cent accuracy, which was improved to more than 90 per cent with manual corrections, while the webcam was accurate 92 per cent of the time.

The researchers have said the technology leaves people vulnerable to attack by wearers of the Glass, who can surreptitiously view and later use others’ PIN codes.

“I think of this as a kind of alert about Google Glass, smartwatches — all these devices,” said Dr Fu Xinwen, a computer science professor who led the study.

“If someone can take a video of you typing on the screen, you lose everything. Any camera works, but you can’t hold your iPhone over someone to do this,’ Mr Fu told Wired magazine. “Because Glass is on your head, it’s perfect for this kind of sneaky attack.”

In response to the research, Google issued a statement saying: “Unfortunately, stealing passwords by watching people as they type them is nothing new. We designed Glass with privacy in mind.

“The fact that Glass is worn above the eyes and the screen lights up whenever it’s activated clearly signals it’s in use and makes it a fairly lousy surveillance device.”

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.