News by Faculty
Sara Rampazzi
Hacking reality
Microphones that “hear” light; microprocessors that “tell” us secrets; self-driving cars that “see” fake objects; sensors that “feel” the wrong temperature. Our devices are under attack in new, increasingly sophisticated ways. Security researchers at CSE are exploring the limits of hardware and finding new, sobering vulnerabilities in our computers and homes.
Ars Technica: November 5, 2019
Siri, Alexa, and Google Home can be controlled with lasers, new research shows
MEMS mics respond to light as if it were sound, discovered by a team including Profs. Kevin Fu and Dan GenkinResearchers take control of Siri, Alexa, and Google Home with lasers
The newly discovered microphone vulnerability allows attackers to remotely inject inaudible and invisible commands into voice assistants using light.
Remote attack on temperature sensors threatens safety in incubators and industry
The researchers demonstrated that an adversary could remotely manipulate the temperature sensor measurements without tampering with the targeted system or triggering automatic temperature alarms.
New attack on autonomous vehicle sensors creates fake obstacles
Up to this point, no attacks had been discovered targeting a car’s LiDAR system—but a major new finding from researchers at the University of Michigan has demonstrated what that might look like.