Securing Keyboard Data Communication

Undoubtedly, the use of a keyboard is rather common when using a PC, laptop, terminal, or server. Unfortunately, when using wired or unencrypted wireless keyboards, all keystrokes can be eavesdropped using a simple RF scanner. The research presented in this paper aims to tackle this problem, or better security “gap”, in order to secure the respective keyboard communication. Five solutions are presented for securing the keystrokes when using a wired USB keyboard with encryption, a fiber optic cable, and a wireless connection (either microwave or light). The proposed solutions are novel, aiming at securing the communication between the USB keyboard and the end PC/laptop/cloud, since the commercial keyboards either wired or wireless are an easy target for an eavesdropper, as stated in the relevant literature section. There are detailed diagrams illustrating the circuits and modules used, while the respective block diagrams and message details are also provided. In conclusion, challenges are studied and addressed, experiments are carried out, and suitable solutions are presented.