An introduction to acoustic keyloggers
Keyboard Eavesdropping
© Lead Image © Sergey Galushko, 123RF.com
Is someone listening in on your typing? Learn more about how acoustic keyloggers work.
With all the discussion about the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity, we are reminded that criminals are paying close attention to AI's advances. New functionality identified by British researchers [1] involves training a deep learning model to listen in on the acoustic sounds made by keyboards when a user is typing. The model then records the audio from the typing and determines what was typed. Applications include recording users logging in to sensitive online accounts or entering payment details.
However, this type of attack does not require AI to do damage. Keylogging tools already exist that can listen in on your typing. While it might sound paranoid, you might be surprised how advanced such tools have become, even without machine learning (ML) removing much of the required "training" time for an acoustic keylogger to fully recognize keyboard sounds.
To get you up to speed on keylogging, I will explain how keylogging works and look at some of the tools currently available on Linux.
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