PlaceRaider - The Spy in Your Pocket

This is one that could make James Bond's "Q" a bit jealous. 

Researchers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana, and Indiana University Bloomington, have developed malware that can be used to hijack a smartphone's camera. The camera is then used to generate a data stream of snaps that the receiving software can assemble into a 3D mosaic of the phone's location. Consequently, victims of this scenario would be providing a view of their location along with any  personal information in it like passwords and account information.  More below: 

PlaceRaider: The Military Smartphone Malware Designed to Steal Your Life (MIT Technology Review, September 28, 2012)

PlaceRaider: Virtual Theft in Physical Spaces with Smartphones (arXiv.org, September 27, 2012)

Comment: Since this development was first announced in late September, the technology blogs have been batting it around as proof that privacy no longer exists. While there is probably more hype than truth to that thought, one thing is certain. We are just beginning to learn all the ways that sensors in smartphones can be used for purposes that are good, or bad.