Mexico. Apps that indicate the state of battery charge can be used to track users' online behavior.
Westcon-Comstor's business unit and one of the leading Cisco technology wholesalers, explains how hackers track your smartphone usage through the device's battery.
Imagine owning an online store and being able to know what the battery level of the Smartphone of the customer who is browsing your page is. If the charge is complete or if it is connected to a power source, you can, for example, offer new products, connect to other brands, among other actions to increase the visit time of the Internet user.
If the battery is running out, you can, for example, activate buttons to finish a purchase faster so that you do not give up on the products or even ask the customer for contact in time, before the phone is turned off. That is a great tool for e-commerce sellers who act in real time and although it may seem sinister and invasive to the end user to be monitored without knowing it, that is what possibly happens with most cases.
Another possibility, however, is to be tracked by hackers, who know the user's routine and through the battery level of the Smartphone can follow the steps. According to Norton's cybersecurity specialists, apps that indicate the state of battery charge on smartphones and other mobile devices such as tablets can be used to track users' online behavior.
That means that while a user browses the internet, the data is combined and in seconds an identification of the file type for mobile devices is created. The good news is that it is not known exactly if website owners, advertisers or companies discovered that possibility and if they already know how to use that tactic to accompany customers. What is known is that this monitoring can be delayed, which can also be done by hackers, for example.
Some studies from Stanford University, in the US, show that a hacker who knows the routine of a user, can track their movements with 90% accuracy through the battery level. Accuracy drops to 60% if the routine of the guard is unknown. It all depends on how easily a phone comes into contact with a cellular antenna. Towers that are located far from the device or blocked by a building can cause phones to use more battery power when trying to look for the antenna signal.
Some recommendations that Norton gives are: download only official apps from stores that often go through the verifications of Google Play or the App Store, because hackers can develop fake applications or download the data of others already installed to access information about the status of the battery. Also avoid using open Wi-Fi signal in untrusted premises, as well as check the configuration of the application before downloading it, paying attention to those who request to disable settings, since that violates the security of the device and allows the entry of hackers.
The use of open Wi-Fi signals is very common, but when there are several devices connected on the same network, they can be invaded and become controlled by computers. Some apps that can be downloaded by any user allow a device's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to be remotely disabled, even if it's meters away.
The two studies revealed show that it is dangerous for any application to be allowed full access to smartphone sensors. These are issues of easy configuration and care about the origin of the apps, but they would solve much of the problem.
