How visible is your data? Security is an issue

How many people could be reading this blog, on your device, at the same time as you? Maybe someone could be looking over your shoulder if you are sitting in an open plan office or scrolling down on your laptop or smartphone while on the commute…but not many people right? Wrong! Data security on any computing device is an issue.

We are all familiar with the tricky espionage techniques we see in the Hollywood movies and how encryption can protect our data when it’s stored. But what about when that information is being read or worked on? Did you know that your PC, laptop, smartphone – and pretty much any other electrical device – could be leaking your data to anyone who knows how to pick it up?

Once unencrypted and visible on our screens, information on these devices is being emitted via leaking electrical transmissions/radio waves. Much like tuning in an old television set, if the listener has the right technology to hand they can tune in live to see what you see or record those emissions to review later. It is estimated that in the typical PC set-up - with a keyboard, monitor, mouse and a printer - there are around 80 vulnerabilities that could be exploited to view data. Vulnerable areas include elements such as the CPU, monitor, graphics card, power line, and network connections like USB ports.

Of course, the military, government departments and international organisations such as NATO are very aware of this threat and use a set of specifications called TEMPEST, originally created by the US National Security Agency (NSA), to protect their devices. I would love to be able to tell you that TEMPEST stands for “Tiny Electro Magnetic Particles Emitting Secret Things” – I’ve always thought it would be the perfect acronym, ever since I heard it for the first time many years ago - but it doesn’t.