Hackers Steal Encrypted Keys by Recording Power LEDs from 60 Feet Away

Researchers from Cornell University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed a method of stealing encrypted keys by analysing the brightness and colour of a device's power light. The team showed the effectiveness of the method by hijacking an internet-connected security camera and capturing footage of the power LED of a smart card reader 16 metres away. After processing and analysing the footage, the team was able to recover the 256-bit key. The method is a form of side-channel attack, which exploits information gleaned from a fundamental or physical characteristic of a system, inadvertently leaking information to hackers.