Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

LED Lights: Friend or Foe?

Posted by michael on from the brilliant-deductions dept.

elfdump writes: "In an article (pdf) soon to be published in ACM Transactions on Information and Systems Security, security researchers have discovered that data transmitted through modems and routers can be remotely reconstructed from the equipment's LED status indicators. According to experiments, their light-to-information retrieval method is successful even when the light is captured 'at a considerable distance' from the source. If you want to prevent people from spying on your data, you may want to tape up those blinking LEDs!"

17 of 597 comments (clear)

  1. WAPs + Airport by francism · · Score: 3, Funny

    So I should put big, bulky Duck Tape over my beautiful Airport Base Station? No way! Plus, I get poor enough reception in some parts of my own house, never mind my neighbors spying on me. ;-)

  2. Yikes... by mystery_bowler · · Score: 5, Funny

    At one time I worked with what I thought was a highly paranoid CIO for a manufacturing company. He had custom-made black plastic covers made for every modem in the modem pool (this was waaaay back) for this very reason.

    I tried not to think about it but he was convinced that eventually someone would create technology that would re-construct the data transmission based on those LEDs.

    If he's reading this (and he knows who he is), you paranoid sod, damn you for being right. *grin*

    --

    My sigs always suck.
    1. Re:Yikes... by DiveX · · Score: 5, Funny

      "custom-made black plastic covers made for every modem"

      You mean electrical tape?

      --
      Cave, wreck, and deep diver.
  3. reminds me of Cryptonomicon by Fraize · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...where the main character, in fear of his computer being Van Eck phreaked, redirects output from a decryption program to turn on-and-off his scroll-lock key in morse-code.

    --
    --Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
  4. arrch! by digitalsushi · · Score: 3, Funny

    ibm defaced my slashdot page! :'(

    --
    slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
  5. Das Blinkenlights by mrneutron · · Score: 5, Funny

    I knew I should have heeded this warning:

    ACHTUNG! Alles touristen und non-technischen peepers!
    Das machine control is nicht fur gerfinger-poken und mittengrabben. Oderwise is easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowen fuse, und poppencorken mit spitzensparken.

    Der machine is diggen by experten only. Is nicht fur geverken by das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseenen keepen das cotten picken hands in das pockets, so relaxen und watchen das blinkenlights.

    1. Re:Das Blinkenlights by getagrip · · Score: 4, Funny

      Here is the babelfish translation:

      NOTE! All tourist and non technical peepers! The machine control is not fur gerfinger poken and mittengrabben. Oderwise is easy snatch that branching factory, blowen fuse, and poppencorken with sharpen-deactivate. The machine is by experts diggen only. Is fur do not geverken by the dummkopfen. Rubbernecken sightseenen keepen the that cotten picken hands in pockets, then relaxen and watchen blinkenlights.

  6. Fixing this issue by pudge_lightyear · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'll just put my modem upside down...that way, everything will transmit backwards...

    --

    Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor
  7. Re:LED Mods by Maran · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, but then you get some wag at the manufacturer who programs the LEDs to make it seem as if you spend your entire time looking at porn, downloading strange software and sharing your semi-legal files with other geeks.

    (Remembers where he's posting)

    Never mind!

    Maran

  8. A quick solution by smaughster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just hide your hub in a teddy bear, noone will point his eavesdropping device on such an innocent toy, would they?

    --
    I intend to live forever, so far so good.
    1. Re:A quick solution by Happy+Monkey · · Score: 3, Funny

      As I stare intently into the glowing eyes of your bear, I can almost make out a message...

      --
      __
      Do ya feel happy-go-lucky, punk?
  9. Thanks slashdot moderators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    For modifying someone's unsubstantiated "hunch" as informative.

    I've seen my lights blink, and I don't think that there's any way
    Yes, and I've looked on a CD and I just don't see any data on it.

    1. Re:Thanks slashdot moderators by RandomPeon · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yeah, I picked up the phone while somebody was using a modem. I didn't hear any of the webpage they were downloading, just noise. Random-sounding noise that always sounded random.

  10. Ok... by Psmylie · · Score: 4, Funny
    I'll get right on that, as soon as I finish my tinfoil hat.

    Good lord.

    --

    psmylie's dictionary: Godzillion (noun) Any number large enough to destroy Tokyo

  11. Re:I know how he feels. by Snowfox · · Score: 5, Funny
    That funny. I to sometimes think that if I stare at those blinking lights long enough I would be able to discern a message. I just chalked it up to my familys history of mental illness. But it turns out I was right all along.
    Don't be so sure. We're all commenting on a kernel update story. What are you seeing!?
  12. Cheap backup solution! by JMZero · · Score: 5, Funny


    I can backup the whole network by videotaping the front panel of our switch.

    .

    --
    Let's not stir that bag of worms...
  13. I do this already by AgentTim3 · · Score: 3, Funny
    Yeah, that's right. I just head into the server room, turn all the lights out, and stare at the routers.


    Sure, it takes awhile to learn how to read it...


    But after awhile, I just see Blonde here, Brunette there, Redhead over there...