Translate

Monday, August 12, 2013

Google Glass: Another device, another vector for infection.

If you have been paying attention to Google at any point in the past year, you might have heard about a new device called Google Glass. This device will be an advancement in Augmented Reality. It will be a computer that is wearable, and is in the style of a pair of glasses.

While controversy is following the device, mostly based on well founded privacy concerns, there seems to be very little discussion on how hackers will treat the device. This can be bad for users because of the fact that Google Glass is just another platform running Android.

For those of you who have had a Mac and found that it is not invulnerable to malware know this already, but oversight on the security front lead to very big problems sooner or later.

Historically, Trojans have been the malware of choice when Android infection is called for. But this new device might just give hackers the drive to push further along the malware severity scale.

I forecast this because of the wealth of information the controller of the device has. If you are a hacker who has hacked into Google Glass, suddenly you can see all that the victim sees. This can include bank login information, passwords, or embarrassing video which can be used to blackmail you.

And with the sort of info provided by being the eyes of a victim, marketing opportunities are endless. This will make sure that some company will be the first to figure out how to hack into Google Glass. From here, the hacker has four options depending on who the hacker is and what company they are representing, if any.

Option #1: Use the info gathered to stalk victims. It is easy to know where a mark is going to be if you have a schedule in advance.

Option #2: For companies, use the info gathered to deliver targeted ads that are sure to entice the victim. If the victim turned customer stays long enough, that will make the ads worth it.

Option #3: Sell the info to the highest bidder. Companies will pay top dollar for the first class info a hacker gets with Google Glass. And lets not get started on bidding that comes from private citizens.

Option #4: Because a hacker generally now has everything needed, steal the identity of a mark. If you know all you can know about the mark, you can easily pose as the mark and fool most people.

Generally, all the info you need as all there. For even one person, you have the following data:

First Name, Last Name, Location, Home Address, Spending Habits, Diet (or lack thereof), Gender, Passwords, Email Addresses, Phone Numbers, Political Attitudes, General Likes and Dislikes, etc.

This is why I am forecasting major infection of Google Glass. With the tempting platform, it is not a matter of if, but when, Google Glass will first become infected. And at this point, the Glass will be shattered.

Thank You for reading. I invite readers to comment with any questions or comments.

No comments:

Post a Comment