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Weak encryption used by Microsoft Corp.'s wireless keyboards can be cracked in a matter of moments, a pair of Swiss security researchers said today (download PDF), giving hackers a way to snatch passwords and financial account information in real-time and from a distance.
Max Moser and Philipp Schrodel, of the Swiss security company Dreamlab Technologies AG, cracked the one-byte encryption key used by Microsoft's Optical Desktop 1000 and 2000 keyboards, Moser said, then eavesdropped on keystroke traffic using an inexpensive radio receiver and a few inches of copper wire. "All we need is about 30 characters," Moser said, referring to the number of keystrokes necessary for analysis, "and we can decipher the text."
Armed with a radio receiver that costs less than $80 and a copper-wire antenna, Moser and Schrodel were able to sniff out and pull in wireless signals between keyboards and computers from as far away as 33 feet. Walls and windows were no obstacle. "You could sit in a car across the street from an office," said Moser, "and point the antenna at a building on the other side of the street." With a longer antenna -- perhaps hidden inside a larger vehicle, such as a truck -- the range could be boosted to more than 130 feet.
http://www.computerworld.com/action...cleBasic&articleId=9051480&source=rss_topic17
Max Moser and Philipp Schrodel, of the Swiss security company Dreamlab Technologies AG, cracked the one-byte encryption key used by Microsoft's Optical Desktop 1000 and 2000 keyboards, Moser said, then eavesdropped on keystroke traffic using an inexpensive radio receiver and a few inches of copper wire. "All we need is about 30 characters," Moser said, referring to the number of keystrokes necessary for analysis, "and we can decipher the text."
Armed with a radio receiver that costs less than $80 and a copper-wire antenna, Moser and Schrodel were able to sniff out and pull in wireless signals between keyboards and computers from as far away as 33 feet. Walls and windows were no obstacle. "You could sit in a car across the street from an office," said Moser, "and point the antenna at a building on the other side of the street." With a longer antenna -- perhaps hidden inside a larger vehicle, such as a truck -- the range could be boosted to more than 130 feet.
http://www.computerworld.com/action...cleBasic&articleId=9051480&source=rss_topic17
