ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — Smart technology from our phones, TVs, and our watches; they make life easier by tracking our steps, our health, and algorithms.
But what are companies doing with that data? And what threats does it pose?
“If they’re able to know when you’re going to be doing something, they can build a targeted attack for you,” said UAlbany student Stephen Gravereaux.
The UAlbany senior is on a mission to find out; through a mentorship with faculty at the Department of Cybersecurity, he’s exploring how hackers can use machines to collect data and steal sensitive information.
Stephen conducted research, created datasets, and more to help create better approaches to protect our data without limiting the functionality that makes smart technology sensors useful.
“So essentially the tool that we’re going to be using to protect privacy is called differential privacy. And essentially, you can view it like static on a phone,” he explains. “You’re talking to someone, and imagine someone else picks up the line and they start talking as well, and making a bunch of noise. It’s going to be harder to hear the initial conversation, and that’s sort of the way that we want to preserve the utility of the data. If we can inject noise when it matters most, when someone’s typing on a keyboard or during certain tasks that we deem are vulnerable to an attack, then that’s the utility trade-off there.”
Gravereaux will be among thousands of students presenting research, exhibitions, and more at the fourth annual Showcase Day on April 30th.
“I’m really excited to show the findings, especially on how we made our proposed attack methodology for a hypothetical scenario.”
Through his research, Graeveraux says to protect yourself, it’s best to research the product you’re using.
“It’s still important to realize that you’re throwing data up over to them, and how they handle it could be entirely different from how another company handles it or how you even want it handled,” said Gravereaux. “So, I would do your own research and make sure that it’s handled in a way that you’re okay with.”
Showcase Day is held across the Uptown campus and is free to attend.
