Novel attack exploits computer mice for spying

High-performance computer mice could be transformed into clandestine listening devices through the new Mic-E-Mouse side-channel attack technique, which involves the exploitation of their highly sensitive optical sensors, reports HackRead. Random mouse movement, which has been converted into audio signals with elevated signal quality and speech recognition accuracy through machine learning and sophisticated signal processing, could be leveraged by attackers with access to mouse packet data, which could be obtained through apps and video games, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Illicit data gathering was also noted by researchers to potentially be completely concealed from targets, with threat actors performing audio reconstruction of mouse movement reports on their own servers. Mouse manufacturers have been urged to evaluate the findings in order to establish safeguards against such an attack, which could become increasingly widespread as high-performance mouse usage increases.