Based on the latest insights released by NordVPN experts, public areas such as libraries are no longer safe as hackers can easily unlock smartphones remotely without the need to install any specific harmful malicious software on the potential victim’s device.
According to the research team, hackers would send modified electromagnetic signals towards the target device. These signals can mimic gestures such as tapping the screen or other similar hand motions to unlock the device.
The existence of such signals was discovered by experts from Zhejiang University, present in China, and Darmstadt University, based in Germany. These experts named the method Ghost Touch. Which means phones can now be unlocked even in remote areas.
With the help of these signals, a.k.a. Ghost Touch, hackers will be capable of unlocking any smart phone in order to get their hands on the victim’s personal data. Information, such as banking apps and passwords, becomes vulnerable to hackers. Not only this, but the hackers will also be able to upload malicious files to the phone, which will allow them to do further damage even after the victim has left.
As per Adrianus Warmenhoven, an expert at the research company, in order to take over the phone, hackers signal emitters need to be in close proximity to their target so they can unlock the phone. As a result, crowded areas where people tend to stay longer are the best choice for a site to carry out the operation.
Adrianus said that an attack can be done from a 40-mm distance. They would already have set up the whole plan and would wait for victims to come and enter the zone in which electromagnetic signals could be emitted. Up until now, nine devices from different companies, including Apple, Samsung, Nokia, and even Redmi, have been compromised.
Whenever the attack is underway, it will look like the phone unlocked itself. Although it may seem unusual, it is not very uncommon, as a number of search results would appear highlighting that auto-unlocking of phones has happened to a lot of other people, but it does not mean that anyone whose device started to work on its own was hacked and cannot be associated with the Ghost Touch.
In order to protect users from getting attacked, it is advised to secure their device with a passcode, which can either be a pattern, a type, or even a biometrically activated lock.
Read next: Need a Free VPN in 2023? Here Are the Best Ones
According to the research team, hackers would send modified electromagnetic signals towards the target device. These signals can mimic gestures such as tapping the screen or other similar hand motions to unlock the device.
The existence of such signals was discovered by experts from Zhejiang University, present in China, and Darmstadt University, based in Germany. These experts named the method Ghost Touch. Which means phones can now be unlocked even in remote areas.
With the help of these signals, a.k.a. Ghost Touch, hackers will be capable of unlocking any smart phone in order to get their hands on the victim’s personal data. Information, such as banking apps and passwords, becomes vulnerable to hackers. Not only this, but the hackers will also be able to upload malicious files to the phone, which will allow them to do further damage even after the victim has left.
As per Adrianus Warmenhoven, an expert at the research company, in order to take over the phone, hackers signal emitters need to be in close proximity to their target so they can unlock the phone. As a result, crowded areas where people tend to stay longer are the best choice for a site to carry out the operation.
Adrianus said that an attack can be done from a 40-mm distance. They would already have set up the whole plan and would wait for victims to come and enter the zone in which electromagnetic signals could be emitted. Up until now, nine devices from different companies, including Apple, Samsung, Nokia, and even Redmi, have been compromised.
Whenever the attack is underway, it will look like the phone unlocked itself. Although it may seem unusual, it is not very uncommon, as a number of search results would appear highlighting that auto-unlocking of phones has happened to a lot of other people, but it does not mean that anyone whose device started to work on its own was hacked and cannot be associated with the Ghost Touch.
In order to protect users from getting attacked, it is advised to secure their device with a passcode, which can either be a pattern, a type, or even a biometrically activated lock.
Read next: Need a Free VPN in 2023? Here Are the Best Ones
