There are many types of attacks and threats that we can find on the network. Hackers are constantly looking for ways to infect victims to achieve their goals, such as stealing passwords, installing back doors on a computer, etc. Of course, luckily we can make use of multiple tools that protect us. In this article we are going to explain what a side channel attack is and how we could avoid it.
What is a side channel attack
First, we will explain what lateral channel attacks are . We are dealing with a term of computer security that refers to an attack that is based on information that is obtained through the physical implementation of a system. We can talk for example of electromagnetic leaks, synchronization of information, energy consumption, sounds …
All this we have mentioned could be exploited to access the system. This is what is known as a side channel attack and it will generally require technical knowledge on how that system works internally.
It is a way to obtain data without necessarily having to enter the system. In the example that we put of the sound, we could obtain an access code or a series of numbers according to the dialing. However there are different types of lateral channel attacks.
One of the types of side channel attacks is discovering algorithms with time attacks. This is to analyze the amount of time it takes to complete a given process. An example of a threat using this method was Meltdown, which read the cache and used the results to read the data.
Another method is through checking the use of the processor by power analysis . An attacker could monitor the amount of power a component is using to see what it is doing. You could even use power signatures to see what data is being sent.
There are also attacks that are based on sounds . In this case, a cybercriminal can hear audio patterns coming from a device and use those results to obtain information. For example, listening to the key dial tone.
On the other hand, another method would be to monitor electromagnetic waves . It is based on monitoring the waves emitted by the devices and being able to decipher what exactly that equipment is doing.
Ultimately, this is what a side channel attack means. As we have seen there are different types.
How to avoid side channel attacks
However, we must also consider the possibility of protecting ourselves from this type of attack . It is essential that we always protect our systems, that we avoid being victims of attacks that may compromise our privacy in one way or another.
The first thing to keep in mind is that avoiding these types of attacks is not easy. We cannot prevent our equipment from using energy or creating sound. However, we can always prevent a possible hacker from carrying out their attack.
For this, something basic is to have security tools and keep antivirus correctly updated. This is essential to avoid any type of attack that could compromise our systems.
It will also be essential to have the latest versions installed and all available patches. There are many occasions when vulnerabilities can arise that are exploited by hackers to carry out their attacks. Thanks to these security updates we will be able to avoid that the failures can be exploited and put our security at risk.
On the other hand, common sense is always going to be very important to avoid not only this type of attack, but any other threat. Cyber criminals will often need user interaction to carry out their attacks. They are going to need us to make a mistake to exploit it. So common sense must be something that is always present.
