Can We Trust Our Technology?
A new exploit involving Apple’s FaceTime is a reminder that our gadgets can be turned against us…
An article review.
Our regular readers know that we usually try to avoid reporting on current events, but this latest exploit really caught our attention! In short, it is possible to activate the microphone or camera on an Apple device using FaceTime, without the called party doing anything at all–the process begins before the call is even answered.
The details behind this vulnerability are interesting, but it wasn’t the exploit itself that got our attention. What made this latest incident noteworthy to us was the fact that once again our technology has been turned against us. As we pointed out in last year’s T-7 article (and probably a few others), many of our “smart” devices have the ability to listen or even see into our homes…and they aren’t always designed with security in mind.
While Apple will eventually fix this bug and life will go on normally, we will still be surrounded by networked microphones and cameras…and it seems like there will only be more of them as time goes on. With the security behind these devices in doubt, perhaps considering all devices to be bugged may not be as paranoid as it sounds.
Okay, we don’t really believe every connected device is listening to our every word–but it’s certainly an interesting thought to consider. If the past is any indication, there will be more incidents like Apple’s in the future, and there’s no telling which devices will be breached…so it may not be that crazy to ask yourself: “Do I know what I’ve been talking about in front of my digital assistant?”
Original article by Ian Bogost writing for The Atlantic.
