Researcher bypasses safeguards to run code on Meta glasses

A security researcher has demonstrated a way to bypass a safeguards mechanism on Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses that is meant to prevent unauthorised software from running. Paula, who goes online as pamoutaf, showed that on older firmware (up to and including version 126) the glasses did not perform a proper check on the software’s origin.

Meta introduced a digital-signature verification in firmware version 127, but the researcher found the signature check could be effectively switched off by manipulating a settings file that the phone passes to the glasses; the device only validated the file’s structure, not whether it had been tampered with. By altering a single byte in that file, the signature check could be disabled and her own code could run on the glasses.

Once the researcher had her software running, she could command the glasses from the paired phone over a wireless connection. The article notes the device includes a camera, microphones and wireless connectivity, and raises concerns about what unapproved code could access or transmit if it were able to operate on the glasses. While Pamoutaf’s post does not demonstrate exploitation of the camera or stored recordings, the work highlights a potential privacy and security risk tied to who controls the device.

The researcher says she intends to publish a follow-up exploring other attack methods. Meta and other parties are advised to ensure firmware and the AI app remain updated and to avoid unofficial modifications.