“Bastille “ (A Cyber Security Firm) has released a report after their research over the wireless devices. The result of this research shows that wireless Keyboard can lead your computer or laptop to be hacked. The firm has mentioned that “KeySniffer” is the attacker which attacks on the wireless keyboard. The firm also mentioned that low price keyboard can be attacked easily.
Highlights of The Research :
• The Attacker is dubbed as “KeySniffer” by Bastille.
• 2/3rd of the Tested Brands were the susceptible to KeySniffer.
• This attack’s range is about 250 feet.
What Are The Harms :
This Hacking will allow the hacker to know your personal information such as Credit Card/Debit Card Numbers, User Names, Passwords, Private Messages etc from a location 250 feet far from your location easily by this “KeySniffer”. The problem starts from the fact that connections of PC and identified keyboard which don’t use any kind of encryption and are easily vulnerable to hackers. This hacking is very simple as the hackers can hack your PC with the help of equipment (Dongle) that costs less than $100.
Which Was Failed in The Test :
Bastille tested 12 keyboards from which 8 were failed which mean 2/3rd of them was susceptible to KeySniffer. HP Wireless Classic Desktop, Toshiba PA3871U-1ETB, Kensington Profit etc were vulnerable to KeySniffer easily. Keyboards from brands such as Anker, EagleTec, Insignia, Radio Shack and General Electric were also affected by this KeySniffer. The research claims that wireless Keyboards which are dependent on Radio Signals for wireless connectivity are vulnerable.
Which are Safe From KeySniffer :
The Research also shown that wired Keyboards are safe from this hack as well as the Wireless keyboards which uses Blue-tooth Connection are also safe from this KeySniffer attack. Thus the cyber security firm has suggested all users to replace their wireless keyboards with these models. High end wireless keyboards which encrypt the data before sending it wirelessly to the PC are also safe from this hack.
The Conclusion of the research is that users should use wired keyboards and if they are willing to use wireless one then they should use blue-tooth connectivity keyboard or a high end wireless keyboard which supports data encryption.