ChiefNode

I can hear what you're typing

Thanks to research by UC Berkeley's Doug Tygar, we now know that computers can reconstruct what you're typing just by listening to the keys that you type -- because you type slow and each key makes a different noise. Ok, Tygar did not say you typed slow, but because the sounds are distinct from each other, systems can exist to discern the difference. So watch who is listening (or recording) while you're typing in your passwords.

I keep thinking about the "invention" of the keyboard. We invented it to easily get stuff "into" the computer at a rate slow enough to allow processing. Now we have fast processors, but slow hands and an awkward keyboard. What does it take to gain adoption of new input mechanisms?

posted by Dana Bostrom @ 22:01