Side channel attacks (SCA) collect and interpret signals emitted by a device to reveal otherwise confidential information or operations.

Researchers at Durham, Surrey and Royal Holloway published a paper applying ML and AI to SCA:

With recent developments in deep learning, the ubiquity of microphones and the rise in online services via personal devices, acoustic side-channel attacks present a greater threat to keyboards than ever. This paper presents a practical implementation of a state-of-the-art deep learning model in order to classify laptop keystrokes, using a smartphone integrated microphone. When trained on keystrokes recorded by a nearby phone, the classifier achieved an accuracy of 95%, the highest accuracy seen without the use of a language model. When trained on keystrokes recorded using the video-conferencing software Zoom, an accuracy of 93% was achieved, a new best for the medium. Our results prove the practicality of these side-channel attacks via off-the-shelf equipment and algorithms. We discuss a series of mitigation methods to protect users against these series of attacks.