Hackers eavesdrop through office work phones

WASHINGTON – A conversation on your office phone may not be as private you think.

Researchers at Columbia University say some office phones have a flaw with their Internet connections. Hackers are finding a way to turn on a telephone’s microphone through the Internet and eavesdrop in on a conversation, remotely.

According to NBC news, these flaws affect Cisco’s popular Internet Protocol telephones.

In addition to being a staple at businesses and corporations, the Cisco phones are also used in numerous government and military applications.

The company appears to be working on a fix, but the researchers consider the flaw “dangerous.”

WTOP’s John Aaron contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2013 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up