• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Seychelles Commercial Bank Reported Cybersecurity Incident

 | 

Microsoft uncovers macOS flaw allowing bypass TCC protections and exposing sensitive data

 | 

U.S. CISA adds Cisco ISE and PaperCut NG/MF flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Critical WordPress Post SMTP plugin flaw exposes 200K+ sites to full takeover

 | 

Scattered Spider targets VMware ESXi in using social engineering

 | 

China-linked group Fire Ant exploits VMware and F5 flaws since early 2025

 | 

Allianz Life data breach exposed the data of most of its 1.4M customers

 | 

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 55

 | 

Security Affairs newsletter Round 534 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

 | 

Law enforcement operations seized BlackSuit ransomware gang’s darknet sites

 | 

Arizona woman sentenced for aiding North Korea in U.S. IT job fraud scheme

 | 

Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

 | 

Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

 | 

Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

 | 

Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

 | 

Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

 | 

SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

 | 

DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

 | 

Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

 | 

U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Hacking
  • KeySniffer – How to remotely hack wireless Keyboards

KeySniffer – How to remotely hack wireless Keyboards

Pierluigi Paganini July 27, 2016

Experts discovered that Wireless keyboards from several vendors don’t use encryption when communicating with USB dongle being opened to KeySniffer attacks

Security experts from Bastille firm have devised a method of attack dubbed KeySniffer to remotely intercept keystrokes or send commands to a targeted computer. The researchers have analyzed non-Bluetooth wireless keyboards from 12 manufacturers discovering that the majority of them doesn’t use encryption while communicating with their USB dongle.

“KeySniffer is a set of security vulnerabilities affecting non-Bluetooth wireless keyboards from eight vendors. The wireless keyboards susceptible to KeySniffer use unencrypted radio communication, enabling an attacker up to several hundred feet away to eavesdrop and record all the keystrokes typed by the victim.” reads the blog post published by Bastille. “This means an attacker can see personal and private data such as credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, security question answers and other sensitive or private information all in clear text.  The equipment needed to do the attack costs less than $100 putting it in reach of many teenage hackers.”

The list of affected devices includes wireless keyboards from Anker, EagleTec, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Insignia, Kensington, Radio Shack, and Toshiba.

The researchers verified that keyboards from Dell, Lenovo, and Dell are not vulnerable to the KeySniffer attack because these manufacturers encrypt communications.

Is it easy to exploit the lack of encrypted communication in order to launch a KeySniffer attack?

The researchers from Bastille demonstrated that attackers using equipment worth less than $100 could launch the attack from distances of up to 250 feet.

A long-range USB radio dongle, such as Crazyradio PA, could be used by a remote attacker to intercept unencrypted communications.

KeySniffer attack Wireless Keyboards

The KeySniffer attack differs from previously analyzed vulnerabilities affecting wireless keyboards that were requiring the attacker to first observe radio packets transmitted when the victim typed on their keyboard.

The keyboards vulnerable to KeySniffer use USB dongles which continuously transmit radio packets at regular intervals allowing an attacker to easy spot a vulnerable device and capture data that are sent even when the victim isn’t at the keyboard.

“The keyboards vulnerable to KeySniffer use USB dongles which continuously transmit radio packets at regular intervals, enabling an attacker to quickly survey an environment such as a room, building or public space for vulnerable devices regardless of the victim’s presence. This means an attacker can find a vulnerable keyboard whether a user is at the keyboard and typing or not, and set up to capture information when the user starts typing.” continues the analysis published by Bastille.

The experts explained that the KeySniffer attacker could be exploited also to inject keystrokes and deliver malware or conduct other malicious activities on the target system.

Experts from Bastille already reported the issue to manufacturers of vulnerable wireless cable keyboards.

In February, Bastille demonstrated how to hack computers by exploiting a flaw in many wireless mouse and keyboard dongles, in that case, the company warned that wireless mice and keyboards from several top vendors were vulnerable to so-called MouseJack attacks.

The MouseJack vulnerability was found to affect more than 80 percent of organizations. Several vendors, including Microsoft, Logitech, and Lenovo, released firmware updates to address the weakness, while others provided recommendations on how to mitigate the threat.

[adrotate banner=”9″] [adrotate banner=”12″]

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – KeySniffer, hacking)

[adrotate banner=”5″]

[adrotate banner=”13″]


facebook linkedin twitter

encryption Hacking IoT KeySniffer Pierluigi Paganini Security Affairs wireless keyboards

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 29, 2025
Seychelles Commercial Bank Reported Cybersecurity Incident
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 29, 2025
Microsoft uncovers macOS flaw allowing bypass TCC protections and exposing sensitive data
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Seychelles Commercial Bank Reported Cybersecurity Incident

    Data Breach / July 29, 2025

    Microsoft uncovers macOS flaw allowing bypass TCC protections and exposing sensitive data

    Hacking / July 29, 2025

    U.S. CISA adds Cisco ISE and PaperCut NG/MF flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

    Security / July 28, 2025

    Critical WordPress Post SMTP plugin flaw exposes 200K+ sites to full takeover

    Security / July 28, 2025

    Scattered Spider targets VMware ESXi in using social engineering

    Cyber Crime / July 28, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT