Report: Google Chrome Users Exposed To Security Flaw That Allows Snoops To Listen In Undetected

Photo Credit: gudmundur.bjarni

By exploiting the voice control feature that is standard on many computers, smartphones and tablets, hackers can turn Google Chrome into a listening device to record your conversations without your knowledge, according to a web developer.

The developer, an employee at a start-up in Tel Aviv and an authority in voice recognition technology, explained on his blog how malicious websites could hack your Chrome browser to listen in on your personal moments through your computer’s microphone:

A user visits a site, that uses speech recognition to offer some cool new functionality. The site asks the user for permission to use his mic, the user accepts, and can now control the site with his voice. Chrome shows a clear indication in the browser that speech recognition is on, and once the user turns it off, or leaves that site, Chrome stops listening. So far, so good.

But what if that site is run by someone with malicious intentions?