According to Kaspersky Lab researchers, hackers, by exploiting machine learning, can spy on keyboard sounds during Skype calls
Nowadays we are all multitasking, or at least we think we are. Thanks to the use of multiple electronic devices we can, in fact, do multiple actions at once. When we make a Skype call, for example, we also surf the Net or chat. Yet this is a dangerous practice.
Researchers from Kaspersky Lab, the Russian computer security company, have warned users. Hackers can spy on our calls, either via phone or on platforms like Skype. Their intent is to listen to the sounds we make with our fingers on the keyboard during phone conversations. With the help of machine learning and a computer it is possible, in fact, to find out what a user is typing simply by listening to the sound of the keys. Almost all keyboards, in fact, emit a different sound for each button pressed. And the margins of error are very limited.
Beware of calls
According to the researchers, the recording of typed keys stores information that can be passed to a machine learning system, which proposes five possible typed keys that could coincide with that sound. In the tests, Kaspersky experts managed to trace the typed text even on a Lenovo computer, whose key sound is really light. According to Kaspersky researchers, cyber criminals could steal passwords or access credentials to bank accounts and social networks in this way. Such an attack can be generated not only on Skype but also on WhatsApp, Viber, Hangouts and many other platforms that allow calls. At the moment, attacks of this kind are not very widespread but soon they could increase. The tips to defend our privacy are two, or avoid using the keyboard while we are on the phone or turn off our microphone until it is our turn to talk. This last operation is advised above all in case of important business conference call.
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