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Researchers Sniff Keystrokes From Thin Air, Wires
narramissic writes "Two separate research teams have found that the electromagnetic radiation that is generated when a computer keyboard is tapped is actually pretty easy to capture and decode. Using an oscilloscope and an inexpensive wireless antenna, the Ecole Polytechnique team was able to pick up keystrokes from virtually any keyboard, including laptops — with 95 percent accuracy over a distance of up to 20 meters. Using similar techniques, Inverse Path researchers Andrea Barisani and Daniele Bianco picked out keyboard signals from keyboard ground cables. On PS/2 keyboards, 'the data cable is so close to the ground cable, the emanations from the data cable leak onto the ground cable, which acts as an antenna,' Barisani said. That ground wire passes through the PC and into the building's power wires, where the researchers can pick up the signals using a computer, an oscilloscope and about $500 worth of other equipment. Barisani and Bianco will present their findings at the CanSecWest hacking conference next week in Vancouver. The Ecole Polytechnique team has submitted their research for peer review and hopes to publish it very soon."
This is exactly why I do all my typing with my mouse on an on-screen virtual keyboard. It's much faster too.
On a serious note, it is ironic that literally broadcasting a bluetooth signal over-the-air between a wireless keyboard and computer is apparently more secure than a hardwired keyboard.
Better known as 318230.
I remember talk about this in the 80's. Van Eck Phreaking
THL phish sticks
Yes, and wasn't there a declassified NSA thing about just this late last year?
"If anything can go wrong, it will." - Murphy
By god, back then the electrons were so thick they had to use thick 8 gauge wiring to make anything work.
Some years ago I waked into a computer store to buy a hard drive. Along one of the walls was a series of glass displays containing a small selection of vintage computer equipment. One of the displays contained a gigantic object that looked like it would take two men to shift. It consisted of a really massive looking cast metal casing out of which protruded some disks, arms, some clumsy looking circuit boards and the thing was powered by a quite sizeable 220 volt electric motor of the type one is used to seeing attached to a really big fat lumber saw. I had to take a few steps back before I realised the thing was a (8 GB as it turned out) hard drive from the early 80s and not a piece of industrial machinery with it's panelling removed. I walked out of that place with a 20 Gb hard drive in my hand. Kind of makes one marvel over how far we have come in terms of miniaturisation.
Only to idiots, are orders laws.
-- Henning von Tresckow
One second while I tune my antennas to your monitor frequency.
I may agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to face the consequences of saying it.
Yeah, the university I worked at did some government work and actually used a mechanically isolated power system. Basically they had a big motor (or several, actually) and it was directly connected to a generator (with a flywheel I think). This meant a totally independent power loop as inside the building, and the flywheel smoothed out any spikes. Obviously not highly efficient, but a good way to decouple for security and safety purposes.
Cool! Amazing Toys.