Syss security researcher Gerhard Klostermeier presented at hacker conference Ruxcon 2016 in Melbourne over the weekend. Nowadays, it’s common for keyboard makers to use encryption, usually with 128-bit AES, to ensure that communication between the keyboard and the USB dongle receiver connected to a computer is safe from prying eyes. Unsecured wireless connections can be intercepted so that hackers can see what you’re typing to extract valuable information such as passwords. Security concerns over wireless keyboards aren’t exactly new.

But at Ruxcon 2016, one security researcher has demonstrated that you can still gain access to a computer using a wireless keyboard, even when the connect is protected by AES, one of the most secure data encryption standards around. This is to stop hackers from sniffing the wireless connection to monitor keystrokes which can reveal sensitive information including passwords. Many wireless keyboard and mice setups connect to computers through a USB dongle and boast that this communication is encrypted.

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