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Microsoft Unveils Whisper Leak: Eavesdroppers Can Infer Encrypted Chats

11/10/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Microsoft revealed Whisper Leak, a side-channel attack that lets eavesdroppers infer conversation topics from encrypted chat data.
The vulnerability arises from how large language models generate responses, producing identifiable patterns in packet sizes and timing.
Despite encryption, attackers can monitor network traffic to identify topics such as money laundering or political dissent.
OpenAI and Microsoft have implemented defenses, including adding random text to responses, to mitigate this risk.

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Story summary

Microsoft revealed Whisper Leak, a side-channel attack that lets eavesdroppers infer conversation topics from encrypted chat data.
The vulnerability arises from how large language models generate responses, producing identifiable patterns in packet sizes and timing.
Despite encryption, attackers can monitor network traffic to identify topics such as money laundering or political dissent.
OpenAI and Microsoft have implemented defenses, including adding random text to responses, to mitigate this risk.