What is a side-channel attack? A cybersecurity researcher explains how computers can leak secrets without being hacked

Hackers have easier ways of getting information out of a computer, but side-channel vulnerabilities show that technology developers need to take a broad view of security.

By: Chetan Jaiswal, Quinnipiac University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 30, 2026

Words: 1,231

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago

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By Chetan Jaiswal, Quinnipiac University

When people hear the word cyberattack, they usually imagine someone guessing a password, planting malware, stealing a computer, hacking an organization’s network or exploiting a flaw in software. A side-channel attack works differently. It looks for clues a computer gives away while doing ordinary work.

A simple analogy is a locked safe. A thief may not know the combination and may not be able to break the lock. But if the …

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