University of California researchers introduced Mic-E-Mouse, a side-channel attack leveraging high-precision optical mouse sensors combined with AI to filter background noise and reconstruct user speech with 61% accuracy. The attack exploits physical signals rather than software vulnerabilities, making it difficult for traditional defenses to detect or prevent. Mic-E-Mouse requires special software on the target machine to collect data, which attackers are unlikely to process locally in order to avoid detection, instead transferring raw data to remote servers.
Side-channel attacks like Mic-E-Mouse pose risks especially in environments handling confidential information, such as corporate or government offices, where high-DPI mice are common. These attacks leave no obvious signs or logs, challenging detection by antivirus or firewall solutions. The threat underlines the potential misuse of everyday peripherals as espionage devices, complicating security measures without hardware redesigns.
To mitigate risk, affected manufacturers are developing patches, and users are recommended to apply protective measures like using mouse mats, creating noisier ambient conditions, maintaining updated firmware and drivers, and employing anti-malware solutions with web protection. While the risk for most users remains low currently, awareness and precaution are important given the increasing sophistication of side-channel attacks.
👉 Pročitaj original: Malware Bytes
