5 ms·

I'm always uncomfortable when typing a password on a wireless keyboard.

by MayeulC 4y ago

rcarmo 4y ago
Oh, come on. All of it is now end-to-end encrypted. Unless you're using some cheap Chinese setup.
- felixg3 4y ago
  Or Logitech Unifying and did not install a firmware update manually
  - rcarmo 4y ago
    Well, Bluetooth does the encryption part "properly", at least.
    - jjraden 4y ago
      "Properly" or properly? Quotes imply some sort of caveat, like it actually doesn't do it properly.
      - rcarmo 4y ago
        BT 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 have slightly different twaks on that. You could spoof connections in older versions, although the details have slipped my mind.
        MayeulC 4y ago
        And what about side channels? It should be relatively easy to link timing to each key pressed, for instance, if not outright extracting the encryption key from emitted signal power fluctuations. These approaches are not just theoretical, they have been shown to work. And that's assuming the protocol itself is not vulnerable and has been implemented correctly. Moreover, I tend to use my keyboards a long time, making it likely that a new attack becomes possible over its lifetime.
        rcarmo 4y ago
        Personal question, feel free not to answer: what is your occupation that someone would find so interesting as to drag over a truckload of RF equipment near your location to try to home in on your 2.4Ghz keyboard, which operates in one of the most saturated frequency ranges known to modern man? :)
        MayeulC 4y ago
        Oh, I'm mostly worried about "dragnet" approaches and script kiddies. I still occasionally use a wireless keyboard to type in a password, but by avoiding these, I also lower the probability of interception. It makes me most uncomfortable when I am typing log-in credentials to my personal home server, that could be used to log in over the internet. Other than that, I work at a lab, which sounds like a juicy target for leaving a passive Bluetooth sniffer in a closet somewhere. I've just played enough with BackTrack (now Kali Linux) in my teens to know that other people may be doing the same.
0cf8612b2e1e 4y ago
Entirely reasonable stance. Previous story[0] about keyboard “security”: 8/10 tested were vulnerable to sniffing or injection. A handy summary table someone put together Protocol Sniffing Injection Plexgear Yes Yes Rapoo Yes Yes Logitech No Yes Corsair Yes Yes iiglo Yes Yes Exibel Yes Yes Razer No No [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33123406 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33123406
- rcarmo 4y ago
  The comments for that article also point out that Bluetooth is more secure.

I'm always uncomfortable when typing a password on a wireless keyboard.

rcarmo 4y ago

Oh, come on. All of it is now end-to-end encrypted. Unless you're using some cheap Chinese setup.

felixg3 4y ago
Or Logitech Unifying and did not install a firmware update manually
- rcarmo 4y ago
  Well, Bluetooth does the encryption part "properly", at least.
  - jjraden 4y ago
    "Properly" or properly? Quotes imply some sort of caveat, like it actually doesn't do it properly.
    - rcarmo 4y ago
      BT 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 have slightly different twaks on that. You could spoof connections in older versions, although the details have slipped my mind.
      - MayeulC 4y ago
        And what about side channels? It should be relatively easy to link timing to each key pressed, for instance, if not outright extracting the encryption key from emitted signal power fluctuations. These approaches are not just theoretical, they have been shown to work. And that's assuming the protocol itself is not vulnerable and has been implemented correctly. Moreover, I tend to use my keyboards a long time, making it likely that a new attack becomes possible over its lifetime.
        rcarmo 4y ago
        Personal question, feel free not to answer: what is your occupation that someone would find so interesting as to drag over a truckload of RF equipment near your location to try to home in on your 2.4Ghz keyboard, which operates in one of the most saturated frequency ranges known to modern man? :)
        MayeulC 4y ago
        Oh, I'm mostly worried about "dragnet" approaches and script kiddies. I still occasionally use a wireless keyboard to type in a password, but by avoiding these, I also lower the probability of interception. It makes me most uncomfortable when I am typing log-in credentials to my personal home server, that could be used to log in over the internet. Other than that, I work at a lab, which sounds like a juicy target for leaving a passive Bluetooth sniffer in a closet somewhere. I've just played enough with BackTrack (now Kali Linux) in my teens to know that other people may be doing the same.

0cf8612b2e1e 4y ago

Entirely reasonable stance. Previous story[0] about keyboard “security”: 8/10 tested were vulnerable to sniffing or injection. A handy summary table someone put together Protocol Sniffing Injection Plexgear Yes Yes Rapoo Yes Yes Logitech No Yes Corsair Yes Yes iiglo Yes Yes Exibel Yes Yes Razer No No [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33123406 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33123406

rcarmo 4y ago
The comments for that article also point out that Bluetooth is more secure.