Artificial intelligence (AI) can identify computer passwords with almost 100 percent accuracy by listening to the sound of keyboard keys being pressed over conference call apps like Zoom, according to new research published by Cornell University.
Researchers programmed an AI computer system to listen to the sound MacBook Pro keys being pressed over a phone and Zoom call, wherein the system began to quickly recognize the individual sound of each key. Within a short time, the system could accurately identify the sound of each key 95 percent of the time over the phone and 93 percent over Zoom.
As a result, the authors of the study have highlighted the potential risk of cyber attacks using the technology. Co-author of the study, Dr. Ehsan Toreini, admitted: “I can only see the accuracy of such models, and such attacks, increasing.”
The sentiment was shared by Professor Feng Hao of Warwick University, who recommended that people no longer type “sensitive messages, including passwords, on a keyboard during a Zoom call.” He added: “Besides the sound, the visual images about the subtle movements of the shoulder and wrist can also reveal side-channel information about the keys being typed on the keyboard even though the keyboard is not visible from the camera.”