New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy • Hacker News Board

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#201

Post by eimrine » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:07 AM UTC

tomrod wrote: post #145

Oh cool, so it's time to learn Dvorak or other keyboard setups.

As someone who teaches Dvorak touchtyping I recommend to do it no later than in sweet twenties because you will not be able to type passwords, if this a goal of your learning. Typing passwords is a final exam for my students.

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#202

Post by eimrine » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:10 AM UTC

javajosh wrote: post #65

I find this really hard to believe. If it were really possible then people could do it with their ears, and they would be doing it and showing off that they can do it. The human ear (and brain) are really, really good at finding patterns and getting signal out of noise.

Piano players can do it if the typist uses a piano keyboard. Also 88 keys but arranged in one row.

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#203

Post by majikandy » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:11 AM UTC

WXLCKNO wrote: post #19

Time to inject background audio of me typing "fuck you" into my zoom calls.

That might make it even easier to decipher. A nice reference point.

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#204

Post by eimrine » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:14 AM UTC

snet0 wrote: post #112

javajosh wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Humans have fantastic audio and video processing abilities, particularly picking out signal from noise. Even now human operators listen to sonar signals on submarines. There's a reason for that.

Part of the issue with keyboard audio is that it's very "noisy". It's like comparing two instances of white-ish noise. Statistics would be able to discern the instances immediately, but a human probably wouldn't.

Another part of the issue is if the laptop has two microphones, it can distinguish a place for low-freq sounds. The human head cannot locate low frequency sound sources such as a sub-woofer in a 2.1 system.

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#205

Post by moonchrome » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:18 AM UTC

cmod wrote: post #181

moonchrome wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems simple to defend - use a password manager.

until you have to type your password to unlock it

Biometric unlock or PIN ? I have to type my master password on restart, hopefully you can do that off screen.

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#206

Post by sgu999 » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:23 AM UTC

whatisyour wrote: post #190

coldtea wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, typing? Else, something like Mai Tais on the beach sounds more fun, maybe it's just me...

but mai tais on beach don't get you money, and if you are going to type on something, its better to make sure its comfortable for you.

But inconfortable for others. Surely you all know it bothers a good amount at least some of your colleagues, right?

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#207

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:38 AM UTC

sgu999 wrote: post #206

whatisyour wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but mai tais on beach don't get you money, and if you are going to type on something, its better to make sure its comfortable for you.

But inconfortable for others. Surely you all know it bothers a good amount at least some of your colleagues, right?

[deleted]

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#208

Post by AltruisticGapHN » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:40 AM UTC

Wow that's kinda worrying for streamers on Twitch and Youtube etc. They sometimes enter passwords while buying a game on Steam or purchasing something on Amazon. Now they're going to have to think about muting as they are already targets of doxing.

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#209

Post by vasco » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:40 AM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #171

tharne wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mechanical keyboard user here. Most of us use mechanical keyboards because they're a lot more fun to type on. That's it. Because if you're not having fun, what's the point?

I don't know, typing? Else, something like Mai Tais on the beach sounds more fun, maybe it's just me...

Mai tais on the beach don't let you signal what a cool hacker you are. When the point of a thing is signaling, normal arguments don't apply.

Re: New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

#210

Post by vladvasiliu » Sun, Aug 06, 2023, 9:47 AM UTC

whatisyour wrote: post #190

coldtea wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, typing? Else, something like Mai Tais on the beach sounds more fun, maybe it's just me...

but mai tais on beach don't get you money, and if you are going to type on something, its better to make sure its comfortable for you.

But isn't one of the reasons for using mechanical switches to be able to not bottom out, hence avoiding the repetitive shocks on the fingers? This is what I do with my tactile keyboards, and I'm actually quieter when I type quickly than my colleagues who bottom out on their cheap hollow HP keyboards like no tomorrow.