Flutterby™! : Key reconsstruction from audio

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Key reconsstruction from audio

2020-08-19 17:08:55.552306+02 by Dan Lyke 0 comments

Picking Locks with Audio Technology. Get a microphone relatively close to the lock (eg: an exploit on the victim's smartphone, a smart doorbell, or directional mic), and...

Once they have a key-insertion audio file, SpiKey's inference software gets to work filtering the signal to reveal the strong, metallic clicks as key ridges hit the lock's pins [and you can hear those filtered clicks online here]. These clicks are vital to the inference analysis: the time between them allows the SpiKey software to compute the key's inter-ridge distances and what locksmiths call the "bitting depth" of those ridges: basically, how deeply they cut into the key shaft, or where they plateau out. If a key is inserted at a nonconstant speed, the analysis can be ruined, but the software can compensate for small speed variations.

Via Kottke

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