PhishingPublished 15 Apr 2026

Spotting cyberthreats: a guide for blind and low-vision users | Kaspersky official blog

Source Kaspersky Security Blog

Description

Learn how Be My Eyes assists visually impaired users, whether it can truly stop phishing, and the key security measures users should be taking.

Impact

The primary impact is an increased phishing risk for visually impaired users due to limitations of screen readers and potential overreliance on AI or volunteer assistance. This can lead to financial loss or credential compromise, as exemplified by a reported scam incident. The AI assistant can help identify phishing attempts but is not infallible, and misuse or overtrust could result in exposure to scams or sensitive data leakage. There are no known exploits or vulnerabilities in the Be My Eyes app itself. The impact is largely related to user safety and privacy rather than technical compromise of the software.

Defensive guidance

Users should treat Be My AI as a supplementary tool and not a sole source for phishing detection. They should avoid clicking links or opening attachments from suspicious messages and manually verify URLs through official apps or websites. When using Be My Eyes, users should limit the information visible to volunteers, avoid sharing sensitive data, and create private groups of trusted contacts rather than relying on random volunteers. Installing dedicated security software and password managers is recommended to enhance phishing protection. Users should also manage their data privacy by deleting chats and requesting data deletion as needed. No official patches or fixes are applicable since this is a security awareness issue rather than a software vulnerability.

Summary

The threat context involves phishing risks uniquely impacting blind and low-vision users, who rely on screen readers and assistive apps like Be My Eyes. The app's AI assistant, powered by GPT-4, can analyze screenshots and flag suspicious content such as phishing pages and emails. Despite this capability, AI limitations like hallucinations and prompt injection attacks mean it cannot be fully trusted to detect all threats. Additionally, connecting with random volunteers poses privacy risks, as sensitive information might be inadvertently exposed. The service processes user data with encryption and offers data deletion options. Recommendations emphasize cautious use of the AI assistant, avoiding sharing confidential information with volunteers, and using dedicated security software and password managers for phishing protection. No patches or fixes apply as this is not a software vulnerability but a security awareness and usability topic.

References

kaspersky.com/blog/be-my-eyes-ai-safety-for-visually-impaired/55611/ (opens in a new tab)

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Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 15 Apr 2026, 17:47 UTC

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