Definition

An inference attack is a technique used in cybersecurity to infer data from innocuous or unrelated data. An attacker can illegally deduce confidential details without accessing a database or its content by analyzing patterns, correlations, or publicly available information.

Data is usually deemed trivial only when no meaningful inferences can be drawn. However, an inference attack is successful when an attacker can reconstruct highly sensitive information meant to be securely protected.

Inference Attack Threats

Inference attacks are particularly effective when targeting IoT devices. Data from fridges, thermostats, and washing machines might appear insignificant, but an experienced analyst can extract meaningful insights about the owner. Most IoT devices have poor security standards, and cybercriminals can access much of their data.

Stopping Inference Attacks