This is a clever new <a href=”https://www.nassiben.com/video-based-crypta>side-channel attack:
The first attack uses an Internet-connected surveillance camera to take a high-speed video of the power LED on a smart card readeror of an attached peripheral deviceduring cryptographic operations. This technique allowed the researchers to pull a 256-bit ECDSA key off the same government-approved smart card used in Minerva. The other allowed the researchers to recover the private SIKE key of a Samsung Galaxy S8 phone by training the camera of an iPhone 13 on the power LED of a USB speaker connected to the handset, in a similar way to how Hertzbleed pulled SIKE keys off Intel and AMD CPUs.
There are lots of limitations:
When the camera is 60 feet away, the room lights must be turned off, but they can be turned on if the surveillance camera is at a distance of about 6 feet. (An attacker can also use an iPhone to record the smart card reader power LED.) The video must be captured for 65 minutes, during which the reader must constantly perform the operation.
[…]
The attack assumes there is an existing side channel that leaks power consumption, timing, or other physical manifestations of the device as it performs a cryptographic operation.
So don’t expect this attack to be recovering keys in the real world anytime soon. But, still, really nice work.
More details from the researchers.
More Stories
DOGE Worker’s Code Supports NLRB Whistleblower
A whistleblower at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleged last week that denizens of Elon Musk’s Department of Government...
Regulating AI Behavior with a Hypervisor
Interesting research: “Guillotine: Hypervisors for Isolating Malicious AIs.” Abstract:As AI models become more embedded in critical sectors like finance, healthcare,...
Verizon’s DBIR Reveals 34% Jump in Vulnerability Exploitation
After a 180% rise in last year’s report, the exploitation of vulnerabilities continues to grow, now accounting for 20% of...
FBI Reveals “Staggering” $16.6bn Lost to Cybercrime in 2024
The FBI found that cybercrime losses climbed by 33% compared to 2023, driven by tactics like investment fraud and BEC...
Vulnerability Exploitation and Credential Theft Now Top Initial Access Vectors
Mandiant’s M-Trends report found that credential theft rose significantly in 2024, driven by the growing use of infostealers Read More
US Data Breach Victim Count Surges 26% Annually
The latest ITRC data finds breach volumes remained flat in Q1 but victim numbers increased 26% annually Read More