Hackers can use a thermal camera to track heat prints left on a keyboard

Criminals can steal your password and private banking details by analysing the residual heat left by your fingertips on a computer keyboard. According to new research, it is possible to use a thermal camera to record heat signatures left by human hands up to a minute after they last touched the keys. Researchers said hackers […]

Criminals can steal your password and private banking details by analysing the residual heat left by your fingertips on a computer keyboard.

According to new research, it is possible to use a thermal camera to record heat signatures left by human hands up to a minute after they last touched the keys.

Researchers said hackers could wait for someone to step away from their keyboard before stealing their login details, bank PIN or strings of text.

They branded the heat signature-based cyber attack as the ‘thermanator’.

The attack was developed by scientists at the University of California to warn users to protect themselves.

Study lead author Professor Gene Tsudik told Bleeping Computer: ‘It’s a new attack that allows someone with a mid-range thermal camera to capture keys pressed on a normal keyboard, up to one minute after the victim enters them.

‘If you type your password and walk or step away, someone can learn a lot about it after-the-fact.’

For the attack to work, hackers must place a thermal camera within a clear view of the computer keyboard.

Footage of thermal prints can then be analysed to figure out passwords and other typed information.

During trials, 31 participants entered their passwords on four types of keyboard.

Eight non-experts were asked to work out the set of keys pressed based on the heat signatures.

Thermal recordings captured up to 30 seconds after the keys were pressed was clear enough for the non-experts to decipher users’ passwords.

The researchers hope their findings will encourage a move away from alphanumeric passwords, towards more secure methods.

‘As formerly niche sensing devices become less and less expensive, new side-channel attacks move from “Mission: Impossible” towards reality,’ researchers said. 

‘This is especially true considering the constantly decreasing cost and increasing availability of high-quality thermal imagers.’