Hack a computer by detecting emitted EM - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: hamdi.tn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2015, 11:27:00 am
content: http://geekspace.net/2015/06/24/they-hacked-a-computer-by-capturing-the-waves-emitted-by-the-processor/i call this ballshit, but what you ppl think of this.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 28, 2015, 11:30:36 am
content: Covered in an existing thread:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/pita-steals-encrpytion-keys/

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2015, 12:00:56 pm
content: Quote from: hamdi.tn on June 28, 2015, 11:27:00 amIt's just another way to detect power usage, the only thing I find surprising about it is how simple the equipment needed is. But I doubt it would work so well/quickly on a machine that's running lots of programs or isn't running on batteries.

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 12:05:17 am
content: DPA or other side channel analysis techniques are pretty difficult to use in practice. They can work, but only with a lot of practice and good technique.

author: kolonelkadat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 02:01:57 am
content: I remember this type of thing being a big deal at some point in the previous century. These days, the only novel part about it is that you can do it with just a smartphone instead of needing a van full of antennas and expensive equipment.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 02:08:19 am
content: Quote from: marshallh on June 29, 2015, 12:05:17 amYes, but the people who are actually using them in anger have plenty of both.We had a tempest rated room over 20 years ago. No computers were allowed and all correspondence had to be typed on an electro-mechanical typewriter. No windows and walls/doors were shielded. It wasn't a complete faraday cage, but it was pretty close.

author: retrolefty
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 03:29:30 am
content: Quote from: BradC on June 29, 2015, 02:08:19 amhum, I worked at a couple of 'tempest' safe comm centers in the Air Force in the mid 60s. Didn't see any special room treatments at all and certainly not a functional faraday cage, just that all the 'protected' electrical equipment was 'tempest certified' shielded and used lower current signaling between devices like teletype < > crypto sets.

author: Tomorokoshi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 03:40:34 am
content: 1. Get an old-school computer without much for shielding.2. Get a nice spectrum analyzer and oscilloscope.3. Get a nice short-wave radio.4. Have fun!

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 06:28:43 pm
content: Quote from: hamdi.tn on June 28, 2015, 11:27:00 amCan be possible, or otherwise stated, we cannot prove it is impossible, but there are surely some huge expectations, limitations:-Nasa/Nsa style budget, logistics, equipment, payroll.-Only in some very narrow niche-After months of preparation and processing-Chance of success of 0 to 5%-...Like the inverse of those hollywood series where the mannequin walks in, puts the device on and leaves with a ready-to-consume success story.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 10:26:16 pm
content: Quote from: Galenbo on June 29, 2015, 06:28:43 pmI'm pretty sure Nasa's budget is not even close to the Nsa's one.NASA only gets $885 million which is not much.

author: Dave Turner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 11:12:45 pm
content: The classic was by detecting crt emissions. It wasn't too difficult to detect them and reproduce what was seen on the users screen. To be sure that was before modern regulations; nevertheless more sophisticated means are now available.

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2015, 04:27:09 am
content: Good luck, i'm behind 7 cheap cfl bulbs.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2015, 04:33:12 am
content: Quote from: Vgkid on June 30, 2015, 04:27:09 amThat's probably more secure than tempest rated equipment

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2015, 10:06:36 pm
content: Quote from: Galenbo on June 29, 2015, 06:28:43 pmThings like that are probably going to be used by the same people that set up complex chains of events to make it so that a bugged clock gets presented to an ambassador by children he "accidentally" met in a dance school he visited "randomly" to look how the kids are being treated, in order to be able to listen to the key taps on the encoding machine in the embassy and correlate them with the radio signals being intercepted, thus deriving the daily encryption keys and decoding all the "unbreakable" coded messages being sent by the enemy.Just the declassified stuff from the WW2 and the cold war is a fascinating reading about human ingenuity in attempts to outsmart each other.I wonder what kind of crazy stuff they do these days.