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").
An eavesdropper was someone who would hang from the eave of a building so as to hear what is said within. The PBS documentaries Inside the Court of Henry VIII (April 8, 2015)
Techniques
Eavesdropping vectors include
telephone lines,
,
email, and other methods of private instant messaging. Devices that support
VoIP and other communication software are also vulnerable to electronic eavesdropping by computer viruses categorized as trojan viruses or more broadly as
spyware.
[Garner, p. 550]
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.
This type of network attack is generally one of the most effective as a lack of
encryption services are used and when the connection between the two endpoints are weak and not secure.
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.
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.
See also
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Cellphone surveillance
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Computer surveillance
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Covert listening device
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ECHELON
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Espionage
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Fiber tapping
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Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present)
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Katz v. United States (1967)
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Keystroke logging
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Listening station
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Magic (cryptography)
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Man-in-the-middle attack
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Mass surveillance
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NSA warrantless surveillance controversy (December 2005 – 2006)
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Opportunistic encryption
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Party line
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People watching
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Privacy
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Secure communication
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Speke Hall, containing a physical eavesdrop for listening to people waiting at the door
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Surveillance
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Ultra (cryptography)
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Wiretapping
External links
