Eavesdropping
Eavesdropping is the act of secretly or stealthily listening to the private conversation or communications of others without their consent in order to gather information.
Etymology
The verb eavesdrop is a back-formation from the noun eavesdropper ("a person who eavesdrops"), which was formed from the related noun eavesdrop ("the dripping of water from the eaves of a house; the ground on which such water falls").[1]
An eavesdropper was someone who would hang from the
Techniques
Eavesdropping vectors include
Network attacks
Network eavesdropping is a network layer attack that focuses on capturing small packets from the network transmitted by other computers and reading the data content in search of any type of information.[5] This type of network attack is generally one of the most effective as a lack of encryption services are used.[6] It is also linked to the collection of metadata.
Security
There is a growing importance of security in communication systems, specifically in wireless technology. The need for security measures at different levels, including software encryption, hardware protection (e.g., trusted platform modules), and even the physical layer using wave-front engineering is as crucial than ever.[7]
Researchers have expressed the importance of addressing the privacy concerns from eavesdropping attacks because they impact the rights of users and the ability to have confidence in the devices as well as the entire Internet. Ensuring that users have trust and confidence in their Internet activities so users continue to engage actively in the system and share data.[8]
See also
- Cellphone surveillance
- Computer surveillance
- Covert listening device
- ECHELON
- Espionage
- Fiber tapping
- Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present)
- Katz v. United States (1967)
- Keystroke logging
- Listening station
- Magic (cryptography)
- Man-in-the-middle attack
- Mass surveillance
- NSA warrantless surveillance controversy(December 2005 – 2006)
- Opportunistic encryption
- Party line
- People watching
- Privacy
- Secure communication
- Speke Hall, containing a physical eavesdrop for listening to people waiting at the door
- Surveillance
- Telephone tapping
- Ultra (cryptography)
References
- ^ "eavesdrop – Definition of eavesdrop in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries – English. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Inside the Court of Henry VIII. Public Broadcasting Service. April 8, 2016.
- ^ Stollznow, Karen (August 7, 2014). "Eavesdropping: etymology, meaning, and some creepy little statues". KarenStollznow.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ Garner, p. 550[full citation needed]
- ^ "TeamMentor 3.5". vulnerabilities.teammentor.net. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ "What Are Eavesdropping Attacks?". Fortinet. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- S2CID 53085137.
- . Retrieved February 9, 2024.
External links
- The dictionary definition of eavesdropping at Wiktionary
- Media related to Eavesdropping at Wikimedia Commons