[LINK] Vista analogue security hole

[Jan Whitaker]

At 10:55 AM 4/02/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote:
>I wonder why turning off *speakers* limits the damage caused by speech
>recognition. Clue stick, anyone?

I think the scenario runs (and it's pretty stretched!) that if you 
aren't sitting by your computer and your browser is open on a site 
with audio playing and the takeover code is part of that and plays 
when no one is listening (see the stretch yet?), then if your 
speakers are on and your microphone picks up the instructions from 
the malicious sound file, then you machine can be compromised.

My mic is open on my laptop all the time, sometimes the speakers are 
off because the email alert is sometimes a pain and sometimes I want 
it. You gotta wonder the likelihood of all the conditions described 
that are risky would line up. My guess it would be as frequent as a 
planetary alignment!

Jan


Jan Whitaker
JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
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