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According to a recent article by Network World, hackers have figured out a new technique to log your keys that involves either cheap lasers or power outlets.
The power outlet method works by keylogging the electrical impulses created with each keystroke, allowing would-be hackers to see everything you type, simply because you’ve decided to juice up your machine. However, you’re safe should you be running on battery power – and this is where the lasers come in.
The second method works by pointing a cheap laser, one that’s slightly better than a laser pointer, at a shiny part of a laptop. A receiver is then aligned to capture the reflected light beam, and record the vibrations that are caused by striking each key. The vibrations are then fed into a sound card, where “the vibration patterns received by the device clearly show the separate keystrokes.”
While I’m a bit skeptical of the second method (with all the different variations in keyboards, builds, sizes, and shapes of laptops, it’s got to be difficult to hammer out a foolproof system), they’re both something to look out for. In order to cover your back, it’s suggested that you “make sure there is no line of sight to the laptop, move position frequently while typing and pollute the signal by striking random keys and later deleting them with the backspace key.”
Image Credit: d70focus on Flickr
Comments are closed on this article
tkid124
July 16, 2009 at 7:53am
How great, another way to steal my information, someone might, gasp steal my latest blog post!!! Oh wait I put those up online for everyone to see, so I guess this goes back to the idea of not accessing private information in public.
vandalais
July 15, 2009 at 7:30am
A laser would require line of site so why not use a pair of binoculars?
Caboose
July 14, 2009 at 1:58pm
Dur! Macs are impervious to those hacking schemes! Its only you stupid Winderz lusers that have to worry about that! I'll be just safe with my super-safe mac!!
In all honesty, I think both are a load of giant smelly bull crap! Like many have said, the differences in computers, and keyboards make it very difficult, if not impossible for the laser thing to work, You'd have to have a database which has every single keyboard ever made catalogued with its frequency for each key press. And don't get me started on the "electrical impulses from your outlet" thing...
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
nekollx
July 14, 2009 at 2:02pm
if anything mack are more vunerable.
Name all 17 inch Mac Books
now do the same for PCs
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Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
DavidWitteried
July 13, 2009 at 9:37pm
One of my favorite utilities is Roboform which stores my account info in encrypted files and enters the login info for me... no keystrokes, so there is nothing to capture. The bad guys would have to get physical access to the computer and my Roboform password to gain access to my accounts. Great software!
David
I Jedi
July 13, 2009 at 4:56pm
More and more hackers are finding new ways to exploit vulnerabilities in computers in general. It's actually quite scary to think just how great they've become at finding ways to get our personal information in just a few short years. I personally think that hackers might be gaining the upper hand in online security. Too many people are uneducated in how to properly protect themselves better from attacks and software always seems to have vulnerabilities that hackers continue to exploit and companies are slow to fix.
Stinky Fartface
July 13, 2009 at 3:14pm
The laser technique sounds very plausible, and not particularly new. My father used to work for the US Defense department and told me all sorts of interesting spy techniques they had to prepare for. Apparently the windows (physical not OS) in govt. buildings use double paned vibration dampened glass to prevent spies from pointing lasers at the windows and then recoding the vibration, which could be translated back into sound to record conversations. And this was back in the 80's. The laser technique descibed here is just an extension on that, coupled with the fact that each key on a keyboard has a unique audio fingerprint.
andysalisbury
July 13, 2009 at 3:52pm
Ah really? Wow I had no idea it dated back that far. To me, it just seems that the vibrations given off by say -- a MacBook Pro and an Eee PC would be vastly different, in terms of build quality, materials used, etc. etc.
But, thanks for letting me know! You learn something new every day.
Stinky Fartface
July 13, 2009 at 8:03pm
Well the audio fingerprint is unique to each computer as well. A spy would probably have to get some kind of visiual confirmation to go with the audio at first to get a map of which keys made which sounds. I don't know maybe there is software that attempts to figure out which sound each key made. But once they had a map of it then they could understand what you are typing.
lunchbox73
July 13, 2009 at 3:10pm
“make sure there is no line of sight to the laptop, move position
frequently while typing and pollute the signal by striking random keys
and later deleting them with the backspace key.”It also helps if you wear a hat made out of aluminum foil and rub down your keyboard with eye of newt extract. Can't be too careful.
mesiah
July 13, 2009 at 10:11pm
I was already formulating my aluminum foil comment in my head as I read the comments >.< You win this round lunchbox :P
nekollx
July 13, 2009 at 3:15pm
or use sharks....
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
