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Researchers Use Smartwatch To Spy What Users Are Typing On a Keyboard

Posted by samzenpus on from the lets-see-what-you're-writing dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers have created an app that follows the micro-movements of your smartwatch and is able to detect what keys you're pressing with your left hand, and guess what words you may be typing on a keyboard. The app developed for the Motion Leaks (MoLe) project only works on a Samsung Gear Live smartwatch, but researchers say that in theory, a similar app could be developed for other smartwatch makes and models.

38 comments

  1. eagle system by nospam007 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I doubt that. I'm using the eagle system, circling over the keyboard until I detect the prey (right key) and then I let it fall down on it (or near it) naturally always with the same finger.
    It should be easier with touch typists.

    1. Re:eagle system by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Is that a variation on the "hunt and peck" method?

    2. Re:eagle system by Jamu · · Score: 1

      Similar, but the eagle system is more majestic.

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      Who ordered that?
    3. Re:eagle system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eagles are carrion eaters. What that says about your code, I don't want to think about....

    4. Re:eagle system by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      I've seen them hunt rabbits, but I've never seen them hunt carrions. For that matter, I've never seen that animal. Is it related to the nauga?

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    5. Re:eagle system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are making a 3D map of movements, so it wouldn't matter at all. You could fap a little bit each time in-between keypresses, and the map could still be precise enough to locate the keys pressed on your keyboard. They could estimate the size of your dick this way too, actually. All you digicodes. The layout of your home and buildings you enter. When you open cans or bottles, when you go have a piss. And many other things.

      They could even slap a 3D model on, and estimate what movements the rest of your body is making, following your wrist.

      Actually, they could even map part of your other wrist movements, through the micro-movements of your watch wrist, depending on the specific motions and hand positions.

    6. Re:eagle system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I only type with one one.. My right hand I only use for Shift and Enter... So, not exactly useful for me too.

    7. Re:eagle system by GrumpySteen · · Score: 1

      Majestic as fuck

  2. Technique already devised to thwart app by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not owning a smartwatch took care of the vulnerability for me, and stops me from looking like a douchebag as a nice bonus.

    1. Re: Technique already devised to thwart app by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 1

      The watch is called "smart", but those who wear them are dumb?

    2. Re:Technique already devised to thwart app by gfxguy · · Score: 1

      Ha... guy at work was showing off his smart watch - all the different dials he could put to show what time it was. Nothing useful, but the flash could run around the dial instead of a second hand. Bravo.

      --
      Stupid sexy Flanders.
  3. One Handed Typing Activies by Canth7 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Time to add taking off that watch in addition to firing up VPN and private browsing before visiting your favorite adult sites now.

    1. Re:One Handed Typing Activies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eventually mandatory security procedure will be to use all computers while naked, in a soundproof room with no lighting, electrical supply, gas supply, A/C or other ventilation. There will be no networks, communications or transmission media, nor any transmission methods. There shall be no WiFi, no RF, no flag waving or gesturing. Computers will have no ports, no hardware interfaces, no functionality, and cannot be in the same room as the operator. The computers must also be inaccessible to any third party that isn't approved by the organization. The approval process is strict enough so as to prevent anyone ever becoming an approved maintenance contractor.

      Take the computers and fire them into space. That's how you get security.

    2. Re:One Handed Typing Activies by Zanadou · · Score: 1

      Take the computers and fire them into space. That's how you get security.

      "The three golden rules to ensure computer security are: do not own a computer; do not power it on; and do not use it." -Robert Morris Sr

    3. Re:One Handed Typing Activies by ls671 · · Score: 1

      I wonder text it detects when you actually look at the adult site.

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      Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
    4. Re:One Handed Typing Activies by RabidReindeer · · Score: 1

      Eventually mandatory security procedure will be to use all computers while naked, in a soundproof room with no lighting, electrical supply, gas supply, A/C or other ventilation. There will be no networks, communications or transmission media, nor any transmission methods. There shall be no WiFi, no RF, no flag waving or gesturing. Computers will have no ports, no hardware interfaces, no functionality, and cannot be in the same room as the operator. The computers must also be inaccessible to any third party that isn't approved by the organization. The approval process is strict enough so as to prevent anyone ever becoming an approved maintenance contractor.

      Sounds like the TSA's wet dream for flyers.

    5. Re:One Handed Typing Activies by Seq · · Score: 1

      But how are you supposed to increase your "step" count?

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      -- Seq
  4. There has to be a joke in here somewhere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    fap fap guess the keys now

  5. Acoustic is better by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is an interesting although convoluted method to determine what is being typed. It has already been demonstrated that the acoustics from typing can be used to identify what is being typed. Most smart watches have microphones. It makes more sense to use the microphone right next to the keyboard to capture very high quality audio so close to the source and then analyze it acoustically to determine what was typed (which captures data from BOTH hands). It will also work if the user takes off their watch and lays it nearby.

    http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~ty...

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    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:Acoustic is better by fisted · · Score: 1

      It only makes more sense if you ignore that you need to create a detailed accoustic profile of that exact keyboard in that exact position before you can interpret the noise...

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    2. Re:Acoustic is better by Dan+East · · Score: 2

      Obviously you didn't read the research paper I referenced.

      In this paper we argue that a labeled training sample requirement is unnecessary
      for an attacker. This implies keyboard emanation attacks are more serious than
      previous work suggests.

      We built a prototype that can bootstrap the recognizer from about 10 minutes of
      English text typing, using about 30 minutes of computation on a desktop computer
      with a Pentium IV 3.0G CPU and 1GB of memory. After the bootstrap step, it
      could recognize language-independent keystrokes in real time, including random
      keystrokes occurring in passwords, with an accuracy rate of about 90%.

      Of course sound can be recorded and thus post-processed whenever a large enough corpus has been captured. Thus you could type for small 1 minute periods at a time over the course of days, and once 10 minutes worth of recordings had been captured from that specific keyboard, it could be analyzed, and after that interpreted in real-time if desired.

      --
      Better known as 318230.
  6. Left hand? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So wear your watch on your right hand.

    Problem solved!

  7. Fooled ya! by AndyKron · · Score: 2

    I wear my watch on my RIGHT hand. Ha Ha!

    1. Re:Fooled ya! by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 4, Funny

      Fool! You think these scientists haven't thought of that? Of course they have.

      The interesting part is that it still captures what the left hand is doing. Some weird entanglement issue, I believe.

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    2. Re:Fooled ya! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh yeah, well I wear my watch somewhere else.

      They think I'm a very slow typist.

    3. Re: Fooled ya! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or, a very fast if erratic typist hitting just one key repeatedly for about 30.second before saying ahhhhhhhh

    4. Re:Fooled ya! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On your dick?

    5. Re:Fooled ya! by Deep+Esophagus · · Score: 1

      You mean people still wear watches? How archaic! They'd have to record the micro-movements of my pants pocket where I keep my cell phone, which is the only thing I carry to tell time.

    6. Re:Fooled ya! by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      They'd have to record the micro-movements of my pants pocket where I keep my cell phone

      Well, if your browsing one of those sites, your "pant pocket"'s movements won't be micro...

  8. Portable keyboard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Why aren't they using this to make a virtual keyboard? Just wear two wrist bands and you can type on any surface.

  9. Don't dig too deep, you won't like what you see by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 5, Funny

    Researchers have created an app that follows the micro-movements of your smartwatch and is able to detect what keys you're pressing with your left hand...

    I think they'll detect other kinds of movements made with the left hand.

  10. In before fap fap... by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

    Damn... too late. :(

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    Beware of the Leopard.
    1. Re:In before fap fap... by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      Well, mentioning "left hand" in the summary was asking for that...

  11. Monkey see Monkey do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This must be the Windows 11 watch.

    http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=8000075&cid=50511399

  12. Smart watches by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    Smarter than their owner...

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  13. another reason by sad_ · · Score: 1

    and that's another reason not to buy a smartwatch.
    today it's only done by researchers, i'm sure it will stay that way.
    as if all those smartphone apps aren't spying enough already.

    --
    On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
  14. The project only works on a Samsung... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gear Live smartwatches.

    Initially the researchers wrote the app for Apple OS but had trouble finding enough people owning one to form a test group.

  15. Dvorak Foils This! by Agent0013 · · Score: 1

    Ha! Let's see them get my keystrokes! I use Dvorak!

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