Israeli researchers zooming in on headphones hacking

An Israeli team says it has found that headphones can be converted into microphones to record conversations, Wired magazine reported Tuesday.

Researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev have developed a prototype, known in the trade as a proof of concept, to show that headphones can be re-purposed into microphones to enable a snooper on one side of a room to record a conversation being conducted on the other by someone using a headset.

Headphone speakers convert electromagnetic signals into sound waves through a membrane’s vibrations.

The malware developed by the Ben Gurion team programs the membranes to work in reverse — picking up sound vibrations and converting them back into electromagnetic signals.

“Even if you remove your computer’s microphone, if you use headphones you can be recorded,” said Mordechai Guri, who led the research.