Phone Battery Status Could Reveal Your Details Online

How is that possible? You keep wondering. Well, a vile software is responsible for this. It is difficult to control and literally tracks what smartphone users do online.

Security researchers from Princeton University recently published a paper, explaining how the attack takes advantage of the HTML5 Battery Status API (application programming interface). The code which is present in Chrome, Firefox and Opera browsers was initially created so that site owners can see the battery levels of visiting users devices. With this information, low-power intensive versions of the site will be served to such users.

Two of the researchers, Steve Engelhard and Arvind Narayanan with the aid of a modified browser discovered two tracking scripts that make use of the API to “fingerprint” a certain device. This in turn allows software to differentiate and recognize each devices.

A group of privacy researchers warned about the potential threats about a year ago, stating that it could be used to spy on users, and it is finally becoming a reality. One of the researchers, Lukasz Olejnik in a recent blog post stressed that some companies may exploit customers by using the battery level indicator. As a matter of fact, Uber made an announcement in May, claiming that users are willing to pay a higher price when their device is running low on power.

Some browser vendors are currently exploring the option of disabling the feature. If left unchecked, things could get worse. Right now, AdBlockers and VPNs can’t fix it, the best option is to charge your device when the battery is running low.