Microphone blocker

A microphone blocker is an adapter designed to prevent eavesdropping.
There are two types of microphone blockers: active blockers which conduct an electrical signal, and inactive ones which do not.
Microphone blockers, including commercial microphone blockers with an integrated circuit marketed to provide "extra security", are not useful for smartphones because it is controlled entirely by software. It can be demonstrated by connecting a microphone blocker to a smartphone, and make a phone call with speaker mode which will also active the internal microphone.
However, although they would work, there are further problems:
A phone connector without a microphone channel cannot be used as a microphone blocker because it will not deactivate the external microphone. Three- or four-conductor (TRS or TRRS) 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm sockets are common on older cell phones and newer smartphones respectively, providing mono (three conductor) or stereo (four conductor) sound and a microphone input, together with signaling (e.g., push a button to answer a call).
CTIA/AHJ is the de facto TRRS standard. OMTP was mostly used on older hardware devices. However, the old mobile phones have a 2.5 mm jack connectors socket and cannot be used with modern microphone blockers that are typically 3.5 mm, but old mobile phones are notorious for their low security of the hardware itself. If a CTIA headset is connected to a mobile phone with OMTP interface, the external microphone will stay active. There, internal microphone will only be active when holding the microphone key on the headset. A standard TCIA/AHJ TRRS microphone blocker cannot be used with OMTP socket hardware devices and it is recommended to test all microphone blockers to make sure they really work.
Microphone blockers disable the internal microphone by tricking the device into believing an external microphone is connected. A 3.5 mm microphone blocker with just TS channel is enough to disconnect the internal microphone, but most commercial microphone blockers have TRRS connections which in theory makes them headset blockers that in smartphones also disconnect the internal speaker in media player software because they will try to connect to the headphones, while ringtones, and alarms, will functioning as normal because they will use both the internal speaker and the external speaker(s).
Successful operation of a microphone blocker depends on the internal scheme of the mobile device, which may fully block the microphone without possibility of recovering data, or just disregard the signal from internal microphone with the possibility of recording if needed.
A microphone blocking plug is a phone connector with a microphone channel that cannot be used due to the plugged end. Some products are shipped with a female connectors (with a keychain hole, or a small strap attached directly to smartphone cases) to prevent loss when the male connector is detached. A mobile phone charm (especially with TRS connector instead of a rubber plug) can be used to conceal a dummy blocker.
A microphone blocking plug can be used to debug software-defined radio that demands a connector to be plugged but they cannot be used to stream radio due to its low antenna efficiency.
Common products that can be used as microphone blockers:
It's possible that microphone connectors without a microphone circuit like the above solutions offer low security, because when you plug a connector that has no microphone or microphone circuit, software has the ability to override the default behavior.
Headset with an integrated microphone blocker also exist, allowing users to use the headphones (ie. for listening to music) without risking being eavesdropped. Microphone blocking adapters are phone connectors adapters with a microphone channel and a mechanism that produces a false positive signal simulating a connected microphone. This mechanism cannot be built by pairing multiple connectors: a headset connected to a 3.5 mm TRRS headset extension cable adapter further connected to a 3.5 TRS headphone cable adapter won't trick a connected mobile phone to disconnect its external microphone.
This section describes use for both microphone blocking plugs and adapters.
A microphone blocker is a cheap, simple accessory that provides countersurveillance against eavesdropping, for example recording eavesdropping from interception (like cellphone surveillance), or phone hacking, but it doesn't work on smartphones because they are controlled by software. However, there are a variety of computing vulnerabilities like proprietary software and firmware, backdoors, hardware security bugs, hardware backdoors, hardware Trojans, spyware, and malware programs that can turn on a mobile device's microphone remotely, and the vast majority of devices do not have internal hardware protection to prevent eavesdropping. Most antivirus software, and anti-spying software does not guarantee that the microphone will be fully blocked or disabled and can even be prevented doing so by spyware and malware that are constantly changing and improving.
Leaked documents codenamed Vault 7 and dated from 2013 to 2016, described the capabilities of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to perform electronic surveillance and cyber warfare, including the ability to compromise the operating systems of most smartphones, turning them into permanent listening devices. Millions of smartphones could also be vulnerable to software cracking via accelerometers.
A new acoustic cryptanalysis technique discovered by a research team at Israel's Ben-Gurion University Cybersecurity Research Center allows data to be extracted using a computer's speakers and headphones. Forbes published a report stating that researchers found a way to see information being displayed, by using microphone, with 96.5% accuracy.
A microphone blocker is useful to prevent a mobile phone against audio interception from pocket dialing.
A person can wiretap conversations from persons they with social engineering have deceived that microphone blockers are safe to use with smartphones. This can in theory be exploited by companies that manufacture and sell commercial microphone blockers if they require a mobile phone number when people order their products or ask for support.