Growing up in a rural area in the 1960s, we had what was then known as “party line” telephone service. If you’re not familiar, it meant that several different households (plus our family’s business) were on the same telephone line, each had a different ring for an incoming call and, only one household could use the line at a time, but other parties could surreptitiously listen in (lurking 1.0) if they didn’t make any background noise. (A common form of entertainment for many rural busybodies at the time !)
According to Vistage Speaker and IT Security expert Mike Foster, your smartphone may be allowing others to hear your conversations, even if you’re not making a phone call; just having your phone powered on and nearby can permit others hear you and capture your conversations.
Mr. Foster notes that data from your conversations might be sold to data brokers, but that’s the least of it. He warns this could be the first step in bad actors capturing data that ultimately sets the stage for sophisticated phishing attacks against you, your company, or others that you may care about.
As always, Mr. Foster not only explains the threat and its potential, but offers simple steps to protect you, your family, and your company. Learn about the newest online threat: Are Threat Actors Listening to Your Phone?
