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SpiKey: Eavesdropping on keys

kaspersky Aug 25, 2020 Technology

A lock is reliable only insofar as it cannot be defeated by an intruder. Computer technology makes things easier, alas, including for those who hate doors they cannot open (and no, we are not talking about cats). Thanks to 3D printers, copying keys has become much easier. Of course, to print them, you need at least show more ...

one decent image of the original. Researchers in Singapore recently published a paper demonstrating SpiKey, a door lock attack that doesn’t require a picture. You simply use your smartphone to record the clicks of the key being inserted into the keyhole. How the clicks reveal the key The attack works on pin tumbler locks, the most common type in use today. The mechanism is based on a cylinder that must be turned to lock or open the door. This cylinder houses several pins, which consist of two parts of different lengths and are held in place by springs. When there is no key in the keyhole, the pins fill the cylinder entirely, and their outer part prevents the cylinder from turning. A suitably shaped key moves the pins so that the boundary between the two parts coincides with the edge of the cylinder; as a result, nothing prevents it from turning. The main secret of a key is the depth of its grooves (pits), which determine the pins’ fit. Key in a pin tumbler lock. Source When you insert a key into the lock, the pins move based on the shape of the key: They rise when a ridge (the protrusion located between the grooves) passes under them, and then fall again. When the pins fall, they click. By measuring the time between clicks, scientists were able to determine the distance between the ridges on the key. This method, of course, does not reveal the main variable: how deep the grooves on the key are. But it does provide some idea of the shape of the key. By exploiting this approach, researchers were able to find key variants that corresponded to the original key. Why the SpiKey attack is dangerous An attacker cannot use the SpiKey attack to create a detailed portrait of an original key. However, here is another useful fact: Keys aren’t truly random. By combining data on the distance between the ridges and knowledge of the requirements for keys for six-pin locks manufactured by Schlage, the researchers were able to narrow the range of possible keys from 330,000 to just a few. An attacker who wants to copy a key can print just five variants on a 3D printer and try each of them. One of the keys will almost certainly defeat the lock. Don’t panic Like most attacks developed in a lab, SpiKey has its drawbacks, and burglars are unlikely to put it into practice anytime soon. First of all, to perpetrate a successful attack, you need to know the make of the lock. Different manufacturers have different requirements for keys, and for an attacker to craft an effective across-the-board approach would be much more difficult. Also worth noting, not all locks are of the pin-tumbler type; several alternative types are also very popular. Second, if two or more pins in the lock click at the same time, the attack will not work. That is, even if the lock is the right type, there is no guarantee that a matching key for a certain lock can be found. Researchers have found that more than half of Schlage locks are vulnerable, but the proportion will be different for other manufacturers. Third, the experiment also assumed that the key’s insertion into the lock occurs at a fixed speed and without any pauses. Although possible, that scenario is unlikely in the real world. How to protect your home (and other places) from burglary The SpiKey attack represents a development that could help burglars and other dishonest people in the long run. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself from this attack: Use several locks, preferably of different types. Even if a would-be intruder can create a key for one of them, the others will probably stop the culprit; Add other types of security. The market is currently full of alarms and other security systems to suit all tastes, from quite simple to very elaborate; Protect your devices so that intruders cannot hijack your microphone or camera functions.

Blackbaud and Beyond - Educational Sector Targeted Consistently in Cyberattacks

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Breaches and Inciden

The poor cyber readiness in the education sector has let hackers target academic institutions with different threats, including ransomware attacks, data theft, and espionage attacks.

APT36 Sharpens Tools While Focusing on New Targets

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Threat Actors

Researchers expose a broad campaign by Transparent Tribe (or APT36) group against military and diplomatic targets in India and Afghanistan.

Nearly Half of UK IT Leaders Have Not Upgraded to Cloud Security

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Trends, Reports, Ana

47% of UK IT leaders have not updated their security strategies to account for cloud environments, increasing their cyber risks, according to a new Trend Micro study commissioned for CLOUDSEC Online.

North American Real Estate Developer Brookfield Residential Targeted by DarkSide Ransomware

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Breaches and Inciden

North American land developer and home builder Brookfield Residential is one of the first victims of the new DarkSide Ransomware.

Police investigators blame Algeria for coronavirus-themed phishing attacks

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Threat Actors

An Algerian web developer is believed to have launched coronavirus-themed email scams and helped build other hacking tools, according to a police intelligence report.

The Fatal Flaw in Data Security

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Expert Blogs and Opi

No matter how sophisticated your security software is, data cannot be simultaneously used and secured. But that may be changing soon.

Browser-based cryptojacking sees sudden spike in activity in Q2 2020

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Trends, Reports, Ana

Browser-based cryptocurrency mining, also known as cryptojacking, made a surprising comeback earlier this year, in the month of June.

SaaS Security Platform Provider ReliaQuest Raises $300 Million

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Companies to Watch

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) security platform provider ReliaQuest announced on Tuesday that it has raised more than $300 million in a growth funding round led by global investment company KKR.

Researchers Urge Security Teams to Review EDR to Stop Lazarus Group

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Incident Response, L

Researchers urged organizations to upskill incident detection and response teams, after a new Lazarus Group attack which managed to bypass advanced EDR and network security at a cryptocurrency firm.

Three places for early warning of ransomware and breaches that aren’t the dark web

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Expert Blogs and Opi

Sometimes the biggest risks and clues are hiding in plain sight, making it crucial not to overlook less-notorious places and people bringing important things to light.

Malicious Actors Impersonating Bitcoin Platform to Launch Malware Attacks

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Identity Theft, Frau

Cyber-criminals have been impersonating the well-known Bitcoin BTC ERA trading platform in order to infect users of the online currency with malware, according to new research from Abnormal Security.

Office 365 now opens attachments in a sandbox to prevent infections

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Computer, Internet S

Malicious Office documents are among the most common vectors exploited by threat actors to deploy malware such as ransomware, RATs, data-stealing trojans, and malware downloaders.

Play framework vulnerability could lead to CSRF protection bypass

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Malware and Vulnerab

A vulnerability in the Play framework can allow a complete cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection bypass, researchers have warned.

North Korea’s Lazarus Group Targets Cryptocurrency Firm Through LinkedIn Job Offer

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Breaches and Inciden

The Lazarus group is on the hunt for cryptocurrency once more and has now launched a targeted attack against a crypto organization by exploiting the human element of the corporate chain.

WordPress Sites Targeted via Vulnerabilities in WooCommerce Discounts Plugin

cyware Aug 25, 2020 Malware and Vulnerab

The flaws have been described as SQL injection, stored cross-site scripting (XSS), and authorization-related issues. The stored XSS bug can be exploited to execute arbitrary code.

Containment Grows, Cal Fire Crews Remain Positive About CZU Lightning Fire Complex

packetstormsecurity Aug 25, 2020 headline,usa

Lessons From 15 Years Of Bug Bounties

packetstormsecurity Aug 25, 2020 headline,hacker

Global Pandemic Opening Up Can Of Security Worms

packetstormsecurity Aug 25, 2020 headline,virus,scien

Shoring Up The 2020 Election: Secure Vote Tallies Aren't The Problem

packetstormsecurity Aug 25, 2020 headline,government,