Vasilios Mavroudis
Avradeep Bhowmik
Description: This site hosts material and references on our research on the security and privacy implications of ultrasound-based technology
Nowadays users often possess a variety of electronic devices for communication and entertainment. In particular, smartphones are playing an increasingly central role in users' lives: Users carry them everywhere they go and often use them to control other devices. This trend provides incentives for the industry to tackle new challenges, such as cross-device authentication , and to develop new monetization schemes. A new technology based on ultrasounds has recently emerged to meet these demands. Ultrasound te
For the first time, we examine the different facets of ultrasound-based technology. Initially, we discuss how it is already used in the real world, and subsequently examine this emerging technology from the privacy and security perspectives . In particular, we first observe that the lack of OS features results in violations of the principle of least privilege : an app that wants to use this technology currently needs to require full access to the device microphone. We then analyse real-world Android apps an
Based on our findings, we introduce several defense mechanisms . We first propose and implement immediately deployable defenses that empower practitioners, researchers, and everyday users to protect their privacy. In particular, we introduce a browser extension and an Android permission that enable the user to selectively suppress frequencies falling within the ultrasonic spectrum. We then argue for the standardization of ultrasound beacons , and we envision a flexible OS-level API that addresses both the e
Vasilios Mavroudis
Avradeep Bhowmik