Google Chrome Hack Allows Websites to Listen to You

Google Chrome Hack Allows Websites to Listen to You

  • By Ginger Hill
  • Jan 22, 2014

Google Chrome Hack Allows Websites to Listen to YouHere’s a thought. You’re a die-hard Google Chrome fan, so every time you peruse the Internet it’s Chrome all the way. In fact, you’re such a pro that you have even enabled voice-recognition. Pretty high tech. At least that’s what voice-recognition apps developer Tal Ater thought until he noticed sometime strange hidden in the background.

Chrome users listen up! Any site that’s enabled for voice-recognition has the ability to use a pop-up window to record your voice almost indefinitely without you even knowing. Ater demonstrated this by closing a tab in Chrome, yet he continued talking. He then revealed a pop-up behind the main Chrome window that was transcribing everything he was saying.

Scary? I’d say, especially if it’s a malicious site using Chrome to listen to people’s offline conversations. Just think of all the details the “bad guys” could learn about you!

So, what’s the deal with Chrome? Once you’ve given an HTTPS-enabled site permission to use your mic in Chrome, you’ve just given the whole site, even pop-ups in the background, permission. And, with the code running in a different window, none of Chrome’s recording icons will initiate, so it looks like nothing is accessing your computer at all.

What should you do? Manually revoke the microphone permissions, which most of us, me included, would never even think to do.

This bug was first reported to Google in September 2013, and while their engineers have isolated the problem, the “fix” still hasn’t made it to user computers.

And, a future warning? There is a new class of apps being developed that require even more invasive permissions. Think in-browser services, like Google Hangouts, even though more convenient because you don’t have to reauthorize your mic for each session, blanked permissions can create a privacy issue.

(Photo credit: antb / Shutterstock.com)

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Report: Cybercriminals Abandon Tech Tricks for Personalized Email Deception Tactics

    VIPRE Security Group, a cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection company, has released its email threat landscape report for Q2 2025. Through an examination of worldwide real-world data, this report sounds the alarm on the most significant email security trends observed in the second quarter of 2025, enabling organizations to develop effective email security defenses for the remainder of the year. Read Now

  • AI-Generated Code Poses Major Security Risks in Nearly Half of All Development Tasks

    Veracode, a provider of application risk management, recently unveiled its 2025 GenAI Code Security Report, revealing critical security flaws in AI-generated code. The study analyzed 80 curated coding tasks across more than 100 large language models (LLMs), revealing that while AI produces functional code, it introduces security vulnerabilities in 45 percent of cases. Read Now

  • Unlocking the Possibilities

    Security needs continue to evolve and end users are under pressure to address emerging risks and safety concerns. For many, that focus starts with upgrading perimeter openings and layering technologies—beginning at the door. Read Now

  • Freedom of Choice

    In today's security landscape, we are witnessing a fundamental transformation in how organizations manage digital evidence. Law enforcement agencies, campus security teams, and large facility operators face increasingly complex challenges with expanding video data, tightening budget constraints and inflexible systems that limit innovation. Read Now

  • Accelerating a Pathway

    There is a new trend touting the transformational qualities of AI’s ability to deliver actionable data and predictive analysis that in many instances, seems to be a bit of an overpromise. The reality is that very few solutions in the cyber-physical security (CPS) space live up to this high expectation with the one exception being the new generation of Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) software – herein recategorized as PIAM+. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.