File Change Notification Side Channel: Estimating Keystroke Timing and Browsing Activity on Linux, Android, and Windows
1. Overview Original Title: File Notification Attacks: Side-Channel Leakage from the File-Notification System on Linux, Android, Windows, and macOS Source: Graz University of Technology (File Notification Attacks Research Team) Publication Date: 2026-09-24 (Public disclosure date by researchers) Updated: None Severity: High Basis for Severity: While local execution is required, unprivileged…
Researchers have demonstrated a method to estimate user activities, such as keystrokes, browsing destinations, and WhatsApp media interactions, using file change notifications on Linux, Android, and Windows systems. This side-channel attack is possible without privileged access or explicit permission to access sensitive information. The researchers utilized publicly available code to validate their findings on various operating systems, with the exception of macOS, where the research material was not applicable.
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