Since Google launched their mobile AdAware service a couple of months ago, we’ve become accustomed to display boards and screens changing to deliver a personalized ad message as we approach. We also know that our involuntary response to these stimuli is measured by our implanted smart device, because we gave the app approval, so that we could earn all those extra points on offer.

So this is how it really works: Google monitors all your movements and browsing habits; at the appropriate time, they trigger a subliminal ad in the form of a picture or audio-visual message. Depending on your brain scan activity as you absorb that message, they can develop better ‘like’ profiles for future campaigns. Google is reading your mind; so what?

Here’s the thing: Hackers have tapped into this available platform. By simply switching Google’s pre-programmed stimuli with logos of the biggest banks, they can detect which is your bank; the brain reaction is involuntary, and it only takes a microsecond to register. Once they have identified your bank, they ‘flash’ up digits in a random order, and soon they’ve got your account number and PIN.

It’s like listening to a combination lock, waiting for it to go ‘click,’ and you can’t prevent your brain from recognizing those all important numbers, even if you’re not conscious of the hack.

Brain pattern detection is not new; it’s been around for a decade, and it’s more accurate than a ‘lie detector’ from the last century. But the ability to insert stimuli and get back real-time responses is new, and easy, thanks to Google’s innovative AdAware system. So now you need a new kind of bodyguard – one that shields your brain too!