Researchers hear the printer.

Printer noise can patient records and account data reveal. German researchers have developed a method with which they come from the noises emitted by needle printers on the content of expressions can close. A practice test was successful.

 

Saarbrücken - Actually, they are relics of times long past computer: dot matrix printer, the letters on paper, by a pattern with color impregnated textile belt sting. Researchers at the University of Saarland have now proven: The frequent today in medical offices and banks used dot matrix printers are a potential security risk

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Dot matrix printer in a doctor's office: After a short learning curve, the researchers 70 percent of prints based on their acoustic signature decipher

It is sufficient, a microphone must be placed on the printer to the recorded sounds from the printed texts largely to be reconstructed, said Michael Backes, a professor of cryptography and information security at the University of the Saarland and a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, with. By his and his colleagues developed methods could be the contents of medical prescriptions or bank documents to be decrypted.

In surgeries are vociferous Printer seniors primarily used for recipes or patient reports to print. For recipes of severe pain is even a legal obligation, with punch out. And this may just the ratternden Nadler, ink and laser printers are unsuitable for carbons. In banks are the scientists that often account statements prepared by dot matrix printers.

Successful Practice Test

In order for the dot matrix printer their secrets were, had the experts of the Department of cryptography and information security, however, provide some preliminary work: They had the equipment first dictionary printed and then trained the software to the individual words Tonmuster assign characteristic. Moreover, they had to noises such as patients in a doctor's office calls to filter out.

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After this training phase, they nevertheless, more than 70 percent of the printed words using the recordings to identify and enable the most content to understand. Also some figures such as numbers of secret accounts in this way could an amazingly high hit rate will be explored, the researchers emphasize.

In a particular practice, the researchers test their program in a medical practice to the test and were running at different recipe on printouts. After six rounds of training it was the seventh successful recipe, the prescription drug purely on the printer to identify sounds.

Researchers want to discover vulnerabilities

Michael Backes, does not believe that the unusual method of espionage in practice is already being applied. The scientists are, according to its own information about new vulnerabilities and early detection of possible hazards noted.

In previous studies, other researchers had already demonstrated that data from the emissions of the cable of an LCD screen and can read that it is possible
Words on the noise filtered out of the keyboard.