Why your KEYBOARD could be giving away your password
SECURITY researchers have discovered a new KeySniffer attack on wireless products that could provide an easy target for hackers and cybercriminals.
Wireless keyboards could be putting you at risk of being hacked
Using a wireless keyboard could be putting your private details at risk of being hacked by criminals, according to a new warning from security experts.
Researchers from cyber firm Bastille found that millions of wireless keyboards across the world could be leaking important details including passwords and banking information.
Criminals were able to access this by hacking into the wireless signal sent between a keyboard and computer using a new attack that is able to monitor which exact keys were being pressed.
This USB dongle allowed hackers to hijack wireless signals
The bug, named “KeySniffer” by Bastille, was able to “sniff” information from up to 250 feet away using a USB dongle (pictured above), which allowed hackers to quietly eavesdrop on unsuspecting victims.
The criminals were able to record each keystroke in clear text, allowing them to then quickly search for private information such as credit card numbers, answers to security questions, and passwords to all kinds of accounts.
It could also be used to monitor the content included in emails or documents, meaning that personal or business secrets could have been inadvertently revealed.
Bank details and passwords were among the information stolen by hackers
KeySniffer appears to affect a number of different keyboards, including products made by Toshiba, Anker and Hewlett-Packard, although Bastille warned that other devices may also be affected.
Bastille has uploaded a full list of affected products on a dedicated KeySniffer website.
The Bastille team note that these major manufacturers were guilty of putting their customers at risk by selling products with no data encryption at all.
Bastille Research Team member Marc Newlin said, “When we purchase a wireless keyboard we reasonably expect that the manufacturer has designed and built security into the core of the product.”
“Unfortunately, we tested keyboards from 12 manufacturers and were disappointed to find that eight manufacturers (two-thirds) were susceptible to the KeySniffer hack.”
If you think you have been the victim of a cyber-attack, check out Express.co.uk's guide to the next steps to take here.