Work

SoK: Acoustic Side Channels

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Acoustic side channels (ASCs) have been discovered for several decades, highlighting the tangible security risks posed by unintended sound emissions from computing and electronic systems. Their existence has drawn considerable attention from researchers, driving rapid progress in both attack methodologies and defense mechanisms across a wide range of scenarios. In this article, we provide a state-of-the-art analysis of ASCs, covering all the significant academic research in the area. First, we clarify existing ambiguities and conceptual confusion, proposing a clear definition of ASC. Second, we analyse the characteristics of known ASCs, discuss their security implications, and propose the first taxonomy. Next, we summarise attack techniques, discuss countermeasures, and identify areas for future research. We also link side channels and inverse problems, two fields that appear to be completely isolated from each other but have deep connections.

Source: ACM Computing Surveys

DOI: 10.1145/3778350

Authors: Ping Wang, Shishir Nagaraja, Aurélien Bourquard, Haichang Gao, Jeff Yan

Institutions: Xidian University, Newcastle University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Southampton

Language: English

Topic: Security and Verification in Computing

Subfield: Artificial Intelligence

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid