(None)

bmorris@netcom.com (Bob MorrisG) writes:

I've heard rumors through the years that CIA/NSA/whoever can aim a parabolic antenna at your window, read the electronic pulses surrounding your computer, and thusly determine what you are typing. Is there any truth to this? If this is a reference to the TEMPEST attack, yes, they can. From what I hear, it's trivially easy for them to do, because they have The Right Equipment. Rumor also suggests that that The Right Equipment isn't so difficult to come by. I don't pretend to understand the intricacies of TEMPEST, but I do know that the government requires all of their computers (used at any level of security above none) to be TEMPEST shielded. This tells us its a real concern.

There are other ways to beat TEMPEST, like making it damn near impossible to get close enough to the computer in question to get a reading. --Jeff -- ====== ====== +----------------jgostin@eternal.pha.pa.us----------------+ == == | The new, improved, environmentally safe, bigger, better,| == == -= | faster, hypo-allergenic, AND politically correct .sig. | ==== ====== | Now with a new fresh lemon scent! | PGP Key Available +---------------------------------------------------------+