Researchers Work to Counter a New Class of Coffee Shop Hackers Georgia Tech News Center (01/08/15) Toon, John Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) say hackers can see what a computer user is doing by analyzing the low-power electronic signals a laptop emits when it is not connected to the Internet. Georgia Tech researchers are studying where these information leaks, known as side-channel signals, originate so they can help computer designers develop strategies to plug them. The researchers have developed a metric for measuring the strength of the leaks to help prioritize security efforts. Even if you have the Internet connection disabled, you are still emanating information that somebody could use to attack your computer or smartphone, says Georgia Tech professor Alenka Zajic. Side-channel emissions can be measured several feet away from a computer using a variety of spying methods. As part of a demonstration, Zajic typed a password on one laptop that was not connected to the Internet, while a colleague on the other side of a wall read the password as it was being typed by intercepting side-channel signals produced by the first laptops keyboard software. We are measuring computers and smartphones to identify the parts of the devices that leak the most, Zajic says. That information can guide efforts to redesign them, and on an architectural level, perhaps change the instructions in the software to change the device behavior.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 23:25:05 +0000
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