Abstract:
With the pervasive use of smartphones that sense, collect, and process valuable information about the environment, ensuring location privacy has become one of the most im...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
With the pervasive use of smartphones that sense, collect, and process valuable information about the environment, ensuring location privacy has become one of the most important concerns in the modern age. A few recent research studies discuss the feasibility of processing sensory data gathered by a smartphone to locate the phone's owner, even when the user does not intend to share his location information, e.g., when the user has turned off the Global Positioning System (GPS) on the device. Previous research efforts rely on at least one of the two following fundamental requirements, which impose significant limitations on the adversary: (i) the attacker must accurately know either the user's initial location or the set of routes through which the user travels and/or (ii) the attacker must measure a set of features, e.g., device acceleration, for different potential routes in advance and construct a training dataset. In this paper, we demonstrate that neither of the above-mentioned requirements is essential for compromising the user's location privacy. We describe PinMe, a novel user-location mechanism that exploits non-sensory/sensory data stored on the smartphone, e.g., the environment's air pressure and device's timezone, along with publicly-available auxiliary information, e.g., elevation maps, to estimate the user's location when all location services, e.g., GPS, are turned off. Unlike previously-proposed attacks, PinMe neither requires any prior knowledge about the user nor a training dataset on specific routes. We demonstrate that PinMe can accurately estimate the user's location during four activities (walking, traveling on a train, driving, and traveling on a plane). We also suggest several defenses against the proposed attack.
Published in: IEEE Transactions on Multi-Scale Computing Systems ( Volume: 4, Issue: 3, 01 July-Sept. 2018)
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Arsalan Mosenia received the BS degree in computer engineering from
the Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2012, and the MA degree in electrical engineering from
Princeton, New Jersey, USA, in 2014. He is currently working toward the PhD degree in electrical engineering at
Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. His research interests include Internet of Things, information security, mobile
computing, di...Show More
Arsalan Mosenia received the BS degree in computer engineering from
the Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2012, and the MA degree in electrical engineering from
Princeton, New Jersey, USA, in 2014. He is currently working toward the PhD degree in electrical engineering at
Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. His research interests include Internet of Things, information security, mobile
computing, di...View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Xiaoliang Dai received the BPhysics degree from Peking University,
China, in 2014. He is currently working towards the PhD degree in the Electrical Engineering Department, Princeton
University. His research interests include machine learning for healthcare and security, Internet of Things, and novel
mathematical models for TCAD simulations.
Xiaoliang Dai received the BPhysics degree from Peking University,
China, in 2014. He is currently working towards the PhD degree in the Electrical Engineering Department, Princeton
University. His research interests include machine learning for healthcare and security, Internet of Things, and novel
mathematical models for TCAD simulations.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Prateek Mittal received the PhD degree in electrical and computer
engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 2012. He is an assistant professor in the
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University. Prior to joining Princeton University, he was a
postdoctoral scholar with the University of California, Berkeley. His research aims to build secure and
privacy-preserving communication ...Show More
Prateek Mittal received the PhD degree in electrical and computer
engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 2012. He is an assistant professor in the
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University. Prior to joining Princeton University, he was a
postdoctoral scholar with the University of California, Berkeley. His research aims to build secure and
privacy-preserving communication ...View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Niraj K. Jha (S’85-M’85-SM’93-F’98) received
the BTech degree in electronics and electrical communication engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, India, in 1981, the MS degree in electrical engineering from S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook, New York, in 1982,
and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, in 1985. He is a
professor of electrical eng...Show More
Niraj K. Jha (S’85-M’85-SM’93-F’98) received
the BTech degree in electronics and electrical communication engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, India, in 1981, the MS degree in electrical engineering from S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook, New York, in 1982,
and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, in 1985. He is a
professor of electrical eng...View more
Contents Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Arsalan Mosenia received the BS degree in computer engineering from
the Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2012, and the MA degree in electrical engineering from
Princeton, New Jersey, USA, in 2014. He is currently working toward the PhD degree in electrical engineering at
Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. His research interests include Internet of Things, information security, mobile
computing, distributed computing, and machine learning. He is a student member of the IEEE.
Arsalan Mosenia received the BS degree in computer engineering from
the Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2012, and the MA degree in electrical engineering from
Princeton, New Jersey, USA, in 2014. He is currently working toward the PhD degree in electrical engineering at
Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. His research interests include Internet of Things, information security, mobile
computing, distributed computing, and machine learning. He is a student member of the IEEE.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Xiaoliang Dai received the BPhysics degree from Peking University,
China, in 2014. He is currently working towards the PhD degree in the Electrical Engineering Department, Princeton
University. His research interests include machine learning for healthcare and security, Internet of Things, and novel
mathematical models for TCAD simulations.
Xiaoliang Dai received the BPhysics degree from Peking University,
China, in 2014. He is currently working towards the PhD degree in the Electrical Engineering Department, Princeton
University. His research interests include machine learning for healthcare and security, Internet of Things, and novel
mathematical models for TCAD simulations.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Prateek Mittal received the PhD degree in electrical and computer
engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 2012. He is an assistant professor in the
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University. Prior to joining Princeton University, he was a
postdoctoral scholar with the University of California, Berkeley. His research aims to build secure and
privacy-preserving communication systems. His research interests include the domains of privacy enhancing
technologies, trustworthy social systems, and Internet/network security. His work has influenced the design of several
widely used anonymity systems, and he is the recipient of several awards including an ACM CCS outstanding paper. He
served as the program co-chair for the FOCI and the HotPETs workshops. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award,
the Google Faculty Research Award, the M. E. Van Valkenburg Research Award, and Princeton Engineering Commendation
List for Outstanding Teaching. He is a senior member of the IEEE.
Prateek Mittal received the PhD degree in electrical and computer
engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 2012. He is an assistant professor in the
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University. Prior to joining Princeton University, he was a
postdoctoral scholar with the University of California, Berkeley. His research aims to build secure and
privacy-preserving communication systems. His research interests include the domains of privacy enhancing
technologies, trustworthy social systems, and Internet/network security. His work has influenced the design of several
widely used anonymity systems, and he is the recipient of several awards including an ACM CCS outstanding paper. He
served as the program co-chair for the FOCI and the HotPETs workshops. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award,
the Google Faculty Research Award, the M. E. Van Valkenburg Research Award, and Princeton Engineering Commendation
List for Outstanding Teaching. He is a senior member of the IEEE.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Niraj K. Jha (S’85-M’85-SM’93-F’98) received
the BTech degree in electronics and electrical communication engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, India, in 1981, the MS degree in electrical engineering from S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook, New York, in 1982,
and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, in 1985. He is a
professor of electrical engineering with Princeton University. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from
I.I.T., Kharagpur, in 2014. He has served as the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems
and an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I and II, the
IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems, the IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design,
the IEEE Transactions on Computers, the Journal of Electronic Testing: Theory and
Applications, and the Journal of Nanotechnology. He is currently serving as an associate
editor of the IEEE Transactions on Multi-Scale Computing Systems and the Journal of Low Power
Electronics. He has served as the program chairman of the 1992 Workshop on Fault-Tolerant Parallel and
Distributed Systems, the 2004 International Conference on Embedded and Ubiquitous Computing, and the 2010
International Conference on VLSI Design. He has served as the director of the Center for Embedded System-on-a-chip
Design funded by the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology. He has also served as an associate director of
the Andlnger Center for Energy and the Environment. He has co-authored or co-edited five books that include two
textbooks: Testing of Digital Systems (Cambridge University Press, 2003) and Switching and
Finite Automata Theory, 3rd edition (Cambridge University Press, 2009). He has co-authored 15 book chapters
and more than 430 technical papers. He has coauthored 14 papers that have won various awards, and another six that
have received best paper award nominations. He has received 16 U.S. patents. He has served on the program committees
of more than 150 conferences and workshops. His research interests include embedded computing, secure computing,
machine learning, smart healthcare, monolithic 3D IC design, low power hardware/software design, and computer-aided
design of integrated circuits and systems. He has given several keynote speeches in the area of nanoelectronic
design/test and embedded systems. He is the recipient of the AT&T Foundation Award and NEC Preceptorship Award for
Research Excellence, NCR Award for Teaching Excellence, Princeton University Graduate Mentoring Award, and six
Outstanding Teaching Commendations from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He is a fellow of the IEEE and
ACM.
Niraj K. Jha (S’85-M’85-SM’93-F’98) received
the BTech degree in electronics and electrical communication engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, India, in 1981, the MS degree in electrical engineering from S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook, New York, in 1982,
and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, in 1985. He is a
professor of electrical engineering with Princeton University. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from
I.I.T., Kharagpur, in 2014. He has served as the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems
and an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I and II, the
IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems, the IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design,
the IEEE Transactions on Computers, the Journal of Electronic Testing: Theory and
Applications, and the Journal of Nanotechnology. He is currently serving as an associate
editor of the IEEE Transactions on Multi-Scale Computing Systems and the Journal of Low Power
Electronics. He has served as the program chairman of the 1992 Workshop on Fault-Tolerant Parallel and
Distributed Systems, the 2004 International Conference on Embedded and Ubiquitous Computing, and the 2010
International Conference on VLSI Design. He has served as the director of the Center for Embedded System-on-a-chip
Design funded by the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology. He has also served as an associate director of
the Andlnger Center for Energy and the Environment. He has co-authored or co-edited five books that include two
textbooks: Testing of Digital Systems (Cambridge University Press, 2003) and Switching and
Finite Automata Theory, 3rd edition (Cambridge University Press, 2009). He has co-authored 15 book chapters
and more than 430 technical papers. He has coauthored 14 papers that have won various awards, and another six that
have received best paper award nominations. He has received 16 U.S. patents. He has served on the program committees
of more than 150 conferences and workshops. His research interests include embedded computing, secure computing,
machine learning, smart healthcare, monolithic 3D IC design, low power hardware/software design, and computer-aided
design of integrated circuits and systems. He has given several keynote speeches in the area of nanoelectronic
design/test and embedded systems. He is the recipient of the AT&T Foundation Award and NEC Preceptorship Award for
Research Excellence, NCR Award for Teaching Excellence, Princeton University Graduate Mentoring Award, and six
Outstanding Teaching Commendations from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He is a fellow of the IEEE and
ACM.View more
