Be Careful How Loudly You Type

[Chris]

Computer scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have uncovered a new security  threat: a simple audio recording of keyboard clicks could betray the text you just entered, from passwords to secret love notes.

They are calling it "acoustical spying." Researchers were able to take several 10-minute sound recordings of users typing at a keyboard, feed the audio into a computer, and use an algorithm to recover up to 96 percent of the characters entered.

"It's a form of acoustical spying that should raise red flags among computer security and privacy  experts," said Doug Tygar, UC Berkeley professor of computer science and information management  and principal investigator of the study. "If we were able to figure this out, it's likely that people with less honorable intentions can -- or have -- as well."

More | Here

[dadyassa]

On the Spanish internet banking they use an on screen keyboard that needs mouse clicks, they are pretty quiet :lol:

[andsome]

On the Spanish internet banking they use an on screen keyboard that needs mouse clicks, they are pretty quiet  :lol:

They make little tiny squeaks. :D

[Tony]

But surly this is so hard to implement, as there are so many differents makes of Keyboard, Cheap n nasty to expensive good quality ones. As many people choose the keyboard for the "feel" of it they must all make different sounds when the keys are pressed.

Tony

[-pops-]

Seems to me that this is one of those "beyond the realms of fantasy" research projects created by pseudo-scientists so desperate for funding that they generate these things to titillate the gutter press into producing headlines of mass sexual deviation (Sun, Daily Star) or equally massive doom and gloom (Daily Mail, Daily Express).

This is some (genuine) original typing I did recently. I wonder how the Berkely algorithm would get on with this:

Terpenes and terpene derivatives (terpenoids) are very widely distributed in nature and are thought have many functions in the biology of plants, one at least being that of phytoalexins to protect the plant from attack by micro-organisms, fungi, insects and other pests. It is notable that plants with a significant terpene content show high resistance to these attacks in comparison to plants that do not synthesise terpenes and that any pests that do attack terpene producing plants are highly specialised. Terpenes are built from multiple (two or more) isoprene (C5H8) units. Monoterpenes (comprising two isoprene units) and monoterpenoids occur in a large number of botanical orders and families, notably almost all the CONIFERAE, a large number of the Lamiaceae including Mentha spp., Rosmarinus spp, Hyssopus spp., Satureia spp., Origanum spp., Ocimum spp., Lavandula spp.; a number of the Asteraceae illustrated by Artemisia spp., Tanacetum spp.; the Myrtaceae including Eucalyptus spp., Myrtus spp., Melaleuca spp.; the Piperaceae exemplified by Piper spp.; the Rutaceae notably Citrus spp.; the Umbelliferae typically Daucus carota, Coriandrum sativum, and several of the Gramineae typified by Cymbopogon spp..

In my original there were numerous instances of bold, italics and subscripts which have been lost in the copy/paste but I think I've made my point which is, unless the typing is something basic, it's going to need quite a bit of interpretation/translation into making anything other than the simplest typing into anything intelligible.

[andsome]

Terpenes and terpene derivatives (terpenoids) are very widely distributed in nature and are thought have many functions in the biology of plants, one at least being that of phytoalexins to protect the plant from attack by micro-organisms, fungi, insects and other pests. It is notable that plants with a significant terpene content show high resistance to these attacks in comparison to plants that do not synthesise terpenes and that any pests that do attack terpene producing plants are highly specialised. Terpenes are built from multiple (two or more) isoprene (C5H8) units. Monoterpenes (comprising two isoprene units) and monoterpenoids occur in a large number of botanical orders and families, notably almost all the CONIFERAE, a large number of the Lamiaceae including Mentha spp., Rosmarinus spp, Hyssopus spp., Satureia spp., Origanum spp., Ocimum spp., Lavandula spp.; a number of the Asteraceae illustrated by Artemisia spp., Tanacetum spp.; the Myrtaceae including Eucalyptus spp., Myrtus spp., Melaleuca spp.; the Piperaceae exemplified by Piper spp.; the Rutaceae notably Citrus spp.; the Umbelliferae typically Daucus carota, Coriandrum sativum, and several of the Gramineae typified by Cymbopogon spp..

I never knew any of this before. It will be extremely useful information. Many thanks, I will pass it all on to my friends and family. :D