5 ms·

High pixel density of modern screens makes it very difficult to reconstruct the signal. That, combined with the fact that LCD displays are far less susceptible

High pixel density of modern screens makes it very difficult to reconstruct the signal. That, combined with the fact that LCD displays are far less susceptible than CRT displays, makes it virtually irrelevant for many new displays. Exceptions may include TVs, which use much more power per pixel, and lower-resolution screens like those on netbooks, though now that even phones have >1080p screens these are much less common.

SEJeff 9y ago
very difficult against a state actor with effectively unlimited budget?
- roywiggins 9y ago
  What are the odds that there isn't some other, easier way? It's not that it is necessarily impossible, but if it's really quite difficult, it might not ever happen just because there's always some other, easier way. Even if you have an effectively unlimited budget.
  - debt 9y ago
    It’s likely that whomever exploits this would do both easier way and this way. This one is particularly great because an air gap is assumed by default to be very secure. So you may think things are fine and dandy cause you gotta fancy lil air gap but lo and behold your data has been exfiltrated through the power lines for years.
    - 21 9y ago
      NSA has very strict power filtering rules for their Red/Black systems. Their building is covered in a copper Faraday cage. They also have a double outer shell, with space between the two walls, where speakers play white noise. All this is public knowledge for many decades now. Food for thought. If anyone is surprised by power line exfiltration they just didn't do a basic google search.
      - TeMPOraL 9y ago
        > If anyone is surprised by power line exfiltration they just didn't do a basic google search. Or still thinks that computers are magic or that electricity is binary (either on or off).
        deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
busterarm 9y ago
This is somewhat untrue and physical connections between laptop motherboard and display are often poorly shielded and broadcast your display (think of every physical connection as an antenna). Sauce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g9yUiAHiFo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g9yUiAHiFo This talk is old and we've advanced a fair bit since then.
- carapace 9y ago
  s/Sauce/Source/ ;-)
  - TeMPOraL 9y ago
    It's probably an intentional misspelling ;). It's been popular on Reddit for some time now.
    - carapace 9y ago
      ...and this isn't Reddit, or Imgur (where I first encountered it.) I just thought some of us old fogeys might could use the tip. (Y'know, if we're not 1337 enough...)
  - zaarn 9y ago
    A claim without sauce is like Italian noodle without source. (I'm fairly certain it's intentional, I do it a lot too)
  - wybiral 9y ago
    What you meant to say was "replace 'sauce' with 'source'" but ironically you used a meme to critique someone else's use of a meme.
    - carapace 9y ago
      Y'all did see the winking smiley emoticon, eh? (I really was just trying to fill in the blanks for anyone who hadn't encountered "sauce" as internet slang for "source" aka "provenance" yet. Given the responses though it feels like I accidentally trolled. Please excuse me. ;-)

SEJeff 9y ago

very difficult against a state actor with effectively unlimited budget?

roywiggins 9y ago
What are the odds that there isn't some other, easier way? It's not that it is necessarily impossible, but if it's really quite difficult, it might not ever happen just because there's always some other, easier way. Even if you have an effectively unlimited budget.
- debt 9y ago
  It’s likely that whomever exploits this would do both easier way and this way. This one is particularly great because an air gap is assumed by default to be very secure. So you may think things are fine and dandy cause you gotta fancy lil air gap but lo and behold your data has been exfiltrated through the power lines for years.
  - 21 9y ago
    NSA has very strict power filtering rules for their Red/Black systems. Their building is covered in a copper Faraday cage. They also have a double outer shell, with space between the two walls, where speakers play white noise. All this is public knowledge for many decades now. Food for thought. If anyone is surprised by power line exfiltration they just didn't do a basic google search.
    - TeMPOraL 9y ago
      > If anyone is surprised by power line exfiltration they just didn't do a basic google search. Or still thinks that computers are magic or that electricity is binary (either on or off).
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]

busterarm 9y ago

This is somewhat untrue and physical connections between laptop motherboard and display are often poorly shielded and broadcast your display (think of every physical connection as an antenna). Sauce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g9yUiAHiFo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g9yUiAHiFo This talk is old and we've advanced a fair bit since then.

carapace 9y ago
s/Sauce/Source/ ;-)
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  It's probably an intentional misspelling ;). It's been popular on Reddit for some time now.
  - carapace 9y ago
    ...and this isn't Reddit, or Imgur (where I first encountered it.) I just thought some of us old fogeys might could use the tip. (Y'know, if we're not 1337 enough...)
- zaarn 9y ago
  A claim without sauce is like Italian noodle without source. (I'm fairly certain it's intentional, I do it a lot too)
- wybiral 9y ago
  What you meant to say was "replace 'sauce' with 'source'" but ironically you used a meme to critique someone else's use of a meme.
  - carapace 9y ago
    Y'all did see the winking smiley emoticon, eh? (I really was just trying to fill in the blanks for anyone who hadn't encountered "sauce" as internet slang for "source" aka "provenance" yet. Given the responses though it feels like I accidentally trolled. Please excuse me. ;-)