With this basic modification, Android 14 will enable PIN peeping challenging

Mar, 2023 - by CMI

Hackers won't have a visible animation to see ones PIN any longer.

A new setting in Android 13 QPR3 Beta 2 makes it possible to turn off animations on the lock screen key guard. This makes it harder for someone to look over the shoulder and peek at one’s phone's PIN or password. When they release Android 14 for their devices, phone OEMs will include this modification.

Nowadays, shoulder surfing attacks are more frequent. Thieves who steal the phone have the capacity to steal one's entire identity because they literally peek over the shoulder to figure out how to enter the PIN or password on one’s phone. Shoulder surfing assaults will become slightly more difficult to organise in Android 14 and Android 13 QPR3 Beta 2.

The newest Android 13 QPR3 Beta 2 version, according to XDA, includes a new feature that prevents animations when users input PIN. By heading to Settings > Security & privacy > Device lock > Improved PIN privacy, users can access this new setting.

When enabled, the button push animation that normally appears when users click a number on the keyguard on device lockscreen will not be displayed. A casual onlooker may find it slightly more challenging as a result of this straightforward alteration to determine which key you have hit, but users won't notice any difference because the muscle memory will continue to direct customer.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, it was emphasised how attacks involving shoulder surfing were increasing daily. Thieves can entirely take over an Apple or Google account, as well as any financial information contained within them, by simply seeing that phone unlock code and then gaining access to their device through theft.

According to the analysis, iPhone users are the main targets of these attacks, but other Android smartphones are equally vulnerable. Such assaults are now more challenging to plan as a result of the new modification in Android 13 QPR3 Beta 2.