Spies Can Listen to Your Conversations by Watching a Light Bulb in the Room

[Budjet Tech]

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Weizmann Institute of Science found a way to listen to peoples conversations if there is a haging light bulb in the room.

 

https://thehackernews.com/2020/06/lamphone-light-bulb-spy.html

[NineEyeRon]

I should be safe, I installed a cellular cone membrane around mine. CCMs, as they are known in the biz provide a diffusive effect on the light, preventing attacks like this.

 

Ours also has a decorative function, but this is of secondary benefit.

[eeeee1]

what can't people use to spy on others?

 

[Slottr]

-Moved to General Discussion-

 

Please read tech news posting guidelines:

 

[aisle9]

Put life inside a Faraday cage.

[TempestCatto]

[Guest]

There was some YouTuber that did arts & crafts stuff a lot.

He noticed that you can reflect a laser pointer off a window into a solar panel & set the electricity output to a speaker to listen to said conversation.

There was also note that the way your body shifts can indicate you credit card pin when you press the buttons.

[TempestCatto]

Just now, fpo said:

There was also note that the way your body shifts can indicate you credit card pin when you press the buttons

Or if the pin pad makes the beep noises when you hit buttons. There are some that just make one flat note, but a lot are like the keypad tones on a phone. They make different noises per key. While it may be different as to which note is assigned to which key depending on the make and model of the pin pad, it's still possible to guess one's pin using that method. It's actually how I know the pins for both my parents credit cards, and my sister's debit card. Not sure if they've changed them over the years, as I've never went out and used them without permission (cuz ima good kid).

[Marbo]

I'm currently working on a counter measure for this. 

 

My light bulb contains a small motor that vibrates the bulb. The amount of vibration is controlled by a sudo random algorithm. By the time anyone capable of listening have compensated for this, you have probably finished watching p0rn. 

[akio123008]

So the obvious solution is to have a fixed lightbulb instead of one hanging? Well problem solved I guess.

[Arika]

this has existed for ages. like 1947 ages, not sure why a lightbulb is the thing they are focusing on, a window does the same thing.

[NineEyeRon]

1 hour ago, Arika S said:

this has existed for ages. like 1947 ages, not sure why a lightbulb is the thing they are focusing on, a window does the same thing.

Then you need a dense form of Large Acoustiphoto Opaque Matererial.
 

It has the added benefit of decreasing visual intrusion as well as audio.
 

Also in this case the decorative function is secondary but still present.

[Budjet Tech]

On 6/20/2020 at 2:05 PM, Grumpy Old Man said:

Hardly spies are interested in ordinary citizens. That is, pull the tinfoil hat firmly on the head and a couple of soothing pills down on the hatch and go to the next conspiracy theory site

its not for citizens, but they can listen to people's conversations if they have a hanging light bulb