![]() ![]() However, that information in the wrong hands is a serious privacy concern. It’s also how apps like Google Maps and Waze can continue to work well even if you have your GPS switched off. ![]() If you’re walking through a densely populated, high rise–filled downtown, this Wi-Fi network–based mapping technique can mean the difference between your little blue dot showing up where you actually are or a block or two away. Other than stopping your router from broadcasting its unique ID-which would mean manually connecting to your network each time you want to get on Wi-Fi at home-there’s no way to prevent this from happening.įor the most part, this Wi-Fi–based location mapping is useful: This is how Google can so quickly and accurately pinpoint your exact location on a map. Any time a GPS-enabled Android device picks up your router’s broadcast signal, it can pinpoint its location and relay that information to Google’s location servers. In your own home, Google can identify your location thanks to the handshake between your router’s Wi-Fi name or MAC address and an Android device. It could also lend credence, Young said, to extortion or blackmail campaigns. ![]() From there, a malicious actor could use your location information to better target phishing attacks or scams, like those fake IRS warnings. This process would take about a minute to complete. The site would then send the list to Google’s geolocation look-up services to pinpoint your location. Google Home and Chromecast devices don’t currently have any authentication protocols in place for this kind of request, so any site could ask for this information-one that is legitimately trying to use your location to provide a service, like an accurate weather forecast, or one that intends to use this information against you. With a simple script, a website could collect precise location data on Chromecast and Google Home device owners.Īn attack would work like this: A site-which could merely be an advertisement on a page-would request a list of nearby wireless networks from the Google device on your Wi-Fi network. Security investigator Brian Krebs reported Monday that Craig Young, a researcher with security firm TripWire, discovered a security vulnerability in Google Home and Chromecast products that stems from poor authentication protocols. While the bug itself is cause for concern, it’s worth understanding precisely how Google can triangulate your location via mapped wireless networks, an ability that may surprise some device owners. Google is in the process of fixing an unnerving security bug in its Google Home and Chromecast devices-one in which a malicious website could potentially learn your exact location. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. ![]()
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