Radio Hack Steals Keystrokes From Millions Of Wireless Keyboards | WIRED

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You should be able to trust your wireless keyboard. And yet security researchers have been warning people to be suspicious of wireless computer accessories using sketchy radio protocols for years. Those warnings peaked five months ago, when hackers at the security firm Bastille found that millions of cheap keyboard and mouse dongles let hackers inject keystrokes onto your machine from hundreds of yards away. Now, in case you missed that message, the same researchers have extended their attack to millions more devices---and this time, they can not only inject keystrokes, but also read yours, too.

Radio Hack Steals Keystrokes from Millions of Wireless Keyboards WIRED

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Well now you can add the seemingly trust-worthy keyboard and mouse to that list. Earlier this year, security firm Bastille found that millions of cheap keyboard and mouse dongles let hackers inject keystrokes onto your machine from hundreds of yards away. Now, the same researchers have extended the extent of the attack to millions more devices. What's more, they not only inject keystrokes, but they can also read yours too.

Bastille's research team recently revealed a new set of wireless keyboard attacks that they're calling Keysniffer. The technique essentially allows any hacker with a $12 radio device to intercept the connection between wireless keyboards and a computer from over 75 metres away.

"When we purchase a wireless keyboard we reasonably expect that the manufacturer has designed and built security into the core of the product," says Marc Newlin, the Bastille researcher who discovered the vulnerability. "Unfortunately, we tested keyboards from 12 manufacturers and were disappointed to find that eight manufacturers (two-thirds) were susceptible to the KeySniffer hack."

Moral of the story? While it remains unclear if any of the keyboard makers intend to offer refunds or replacements to customers with vulnerable models, Bastille recommends replacing the dongled wireless keyboards with Bluetooth or wired versions.

Here's how it works: a number of wireless keyboards use proprietary and largely unsecured and untested radio protocols to connect to a computer -- unlike Bluetooth, a known wireless standard that's been tried and tested over the years. These keyboards are always transmitting, making it easy to find and listen in from afar with the right equipment. But because these keystrokes aren't encrypted, a hacker can read anything on a person's display, and directly type on a victim's computer.

You might want to check if your wireless keyboard is on a list of vulnerable devices, since researchers warned that hackers can read your keystrokes from at least 250 feet away. In other words, a hacker could snag your passwords, credit card numbers and any other private information in clear text.

Some keyboard manufacturers opted to save money by skipping over Bluetooth and instead have their wireless keyboards connect to computers using generic and undocumented transceiver alternatives. Those cheap transceivers wirelessly transmit keystrokes to the USB dongle without any encryption.

Studies show that two-thirds of all wireless keyboards are vulnerable to this type of attack. The worst part is there is no fix to the problem. The only way to prevent this attack is to get rid of the wireless keyboard and go back to a wired or Bluetooth keyboard.

Keyboards and keypads may be illuminated from inside, especially on equipment for mobile use. Both keyboards built into computers and external ones may support backlighting; external backlit keyboards may have a wired USB connection, or be connected wirelessly and powered by batteries. Illumination facilitates the use of the keyboard or keypad in dark environments.

Keytops are an important element of keyboards. In the beginning, keyboard keytops had a "dish shape" on top, like typewriters before them. Keyboard key legends must be extremely durable over tens of millions of depressions, since they are subjected to extreme mechanical wear from fingers and fingernails, and subject to hand oils and creams, so engraving and filling key legends with paint, as was done previously for individual switches, was never acceptable. So, for the first electronic keyboards, the key legends were produced by two-shot (or double-shot, or two-color) molding, where either the key shell or the inside of the key with the key legend was molded first, and then the other color molded second. But, to save cost, other methods were explored, such as sublimation printing and laser engraving, both methods which could be used to print a whole keyboard at the same time.

Plastic materials played a very important part in the development and progress of electronic keyboards. Until "monoblocks" came along, GE's "self-lubricating" Delrin was the only plastic material for keyboard switch plungers that could withstand the beating over tens of millions of cycles of lifetime use. Greasing or oiling switch plungers was undesirable because it would attract dirt over time which would eventually affect the feel and even bind the key switches (although keyboard manufacturers would sometimes sneak this into their keyboards, especially if they could not control the tolerances of the key plungers and housings well enough to have a smooth key depression feel or prevent binding). But Delrin was only available in black and white, and was not suitable for keytops (too soft), so keytops use ABS plastic. However, as plastic molding advanced in maintaining tight tolerances, and as key travel length reduced from 0.187-inch to 0.110-inch (4.75 mm to 2.79 mm), single-part keytop/plungers could be made of ABS, with the keyboard monoblocks also made of ABS.

The first computer keyboards were for mainframe computer data terminals and used discrete electronic parts. The first keyboard microprocessor was introduced in 1972 by General Instruments, but keyboards have been using the single-chip 8048 microcontroller variant since it became available in 1978.[citation needed] The keyboard switch matrix is wired to its inputs, it converts the keystrokes to key codes, and, for a detached keyboard, sends the codes down a serial cable (the keyboard cord) to the main processor on the computer motherboard. This serial keyboard cable communication is only bi-directional to the extent that the computer's electronics controls the illumination of the caps lock, num lock and scroll lock lights.

Wireless keyboards have become popular. A wireless keyboard must have a transmitter built in, and a receiver connected to the computer's keyboard port; it communicates either by radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) signals. A wireless keyboard may use industry standard Bluetooth radio communication, in which case the receiver may be built into the computer. Wireless keyboards need batteries for power, and may be at risk of data eavesdropping. Wireless solar keyboards charge their batteries from small solar panels using natural or artificial light. The 1984 Apricot Portable is an early example of an IR keyboard.

Keystroke logging can be achieved by both hardware and software means. Hardware key loggers are attached to the keyboard cable or installed inside standard keyboards. Software keyloggers work on the target computer's operating system and gain unauthorized access to the hardware, hook into the keyboard with functions provided by the OS, or use remote access software to transmit recorded data out of the target computer to a remote location. Some hackers also use wireless keylogger sniffers to collect packets of data being transferred from a wireless keyboard and its receiver, and then they crack the encryption key being used to secure wireless communications between the two devices.

The best wireless gaming keyboard is one of PC gaming's little luxuries. Sure, you can get by with any wired keyboard, but going wireless means you can pick your keyboard up and go hang out on the sofa. There's nothing to fear with a wireless gaming keyboard, either. All of the wireless keyboards we've reviewed for this list are impeccably quick despite the lack of cable, and can deliver the reaction times you crave for fast-paced gaming.

Though even generally wireless keyboards have improved significantly over the years, and where once they were sluggish and ate through their batteries in hours, these days they offer impressive stamina and are just as fast as their wired counterparts. Basically, apart from the obvious lack of a wire, you'd be hard-pressed to spot the difference between the best wireless and best wired gaming keyboards.

Wireless keyboards have often translated to the antithesis of what a gaming keyboard should be: slow, unresponsive, and clunky. That's no longer the case, and the most recent wireless technology from Logitech, built into the G915, has successfully done away with that notion.

Researchers in 2016 discovered flaws in keyboards and mice that hackers use to inject keystrokes. They nicknamed these attacks Keysniffer. How it works is that hackers use radio devices to intercept up to eight computer and wireless keyboard connections from a distance of 250 meters.

Bluetooth keyboards and mice are more convenient than wired keyboards. However, the convenience comes with numerous downsides. Bluetooth keyboards suffer from latency or lag, which could slow you down. Their battery drains fast, and you must recharge the device. Besides, Lithium-ion batteries are short-lasting too.

With proper care, a wireless keyboard should last for between 5 and 10 years. The latter applies to quality premium Bluetooth keyboards. Unfortunately, pressing the keys too hard and spilling liquids reduce the lifespan of an otherwise good keyboard.\n"}},"@type":"Question","name":"Is a Bluetooth keyboard also a wireless keyboard?","acceptedAnswer":"@type":"Answer","text":"A wireless keyboard connects to a device without the help of a cable. So, yes, a Bluetooth keyboard is wireless. The RF keyboard is another wireless keyboard category. It creates a connection via a USB receiver. \n","@type":"Question","name":"Does a Bluetooth keyboard require internet connectivity?","acceptedAnswer":"@type":"Answer","text":"No, since Bluetooth relies on radio waves. Bluetooth does not also require a phone signal to connect to any device. However, the two devices must have Bluetooth compatibility, enabling them to pair. You can use a Bluetooth keyboard anywhere on Earth.\n","@type":"Question","name":"Does it take long to recharge a Bluetooth keyboard?","acceptedAnswer":"@type":"Answer","text":"Charging a Bluetooth keyboard takes about 2-3 hours, a reasonable waiting time. Recharge is via USB while the built-in LED light turns on, signaling a full charge. Furthermore, you can use the keyboard while it is still charging.\n","@type":"Question","name":"Should I leave my Bluetooth keyboard on after finishing my work?","acceptedAnswer":"@type":"Answer","text":"The recommendation is to switch off your devices after use or when idle. For example, some Bluetooth keyboard models have auto-sleep that triggers an off mode if left inactive for 15 minutes. You must also remember that Bluetooth utilizes power even without signal detection.\u00a0 \n"]} Tagged

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