PilferShush Jammer 4.6.2

PilferShush Jammer is an application designed to prevent unauthorized access to your device's microphone by blocking other apps attempting to utilize it without your consent. Some apps use hidden processes to record tracking audio in the background generated by various sources such as nearby beacons, television commercials, streamed music services, or websites. This tracking audio is transmitted at frequencies between 18 kHz and 22 kHz, outside the typical human hearing range but within the recording capabilities of a standard Android phone.

When activated, PilferShush Jammer requests access to the device's microphone hardware and effectively locks it, preventing any other apps from accessing it. It's important to note that this technique has been tested specifically on user apps, not system apps. Additionally, the Android system should prevent PilferShush Jammer from blocking microphone access during phone calls.

While operational, PilferShush Jammer provides a notification alerting users that the application is active. Tests have shown minimal resource usage with 0% CPU, 0% network activity, and approximately 43.6MB of RAM consumed after running for over an hour.

This app is an experimental tool created as part of research on audio counter-surveillance methods in the Android and IoT environments. It requires the RECORD_AUDIO permission solely to secure and restrict microphone usage.

Key Features Highlights:

• The app does not record or monitor any audio.
• It does not establish internet connections.
• Active Jammer addition in Version 2.0 enables emission of tones within specified frequency ranges.
• Version 3.0 introduces service functionality for both active and passive jammers, improving visibility and reliability.
• Version 4.0 features a major redesign, enhancing user experience and application clarity.
• Compatibility updates for Android 10 ensure adherence to audio capture policies.

The latest build (4.4.1) safeguards against other apps attempting to take control of the microphone by automatically restarting a passive jammer service as per Android API guidelines on concurrent audio capture.

Additional Information:

• The effectiveness of white noise for blocking may vary, as it can be an intrusive sound.
• Sufficient speaker output amplitude is crucial for blocking unwanted signals; individual testing is recommended.

For those interested, the source code of PilferShush Jammer can be accessed on GitHub at: Source Code. Detailed information about the research project is available on the Research and Project Webpage.