Electronic Emissions Security: Danger in the Air

ABSTRACT

Most organizations have measures to protect their network infrastructure from intruders. With the growth AND AVAILABILITY of wireless, some intruders now are aiming their attacks there. The potential for damage from these types of attacks is significant due to their nature. However, there is another type of wireless attack on organizational resources that also poses a significant vulnerability. That is electromagnetic radiation, also called radio frequency emissions (RFE), from unprotected systems and networks.

Editor's note: When we received the HP model 45 handheld programmable calculators in the early 1970s, we could pickup the unit's clock with an FM radio. Presently, portable phone and wireless router/adapters often use the same 2.4 GHz frequency and don't co-exist well.

KEYWORDS:

• radio frequency emissions (RFE)
• vulnerability
• TEMPEST
• security
• electromagnetic radiation

Notes

Editor's note: When we received the HP model 45 handheld programmable calculators in the early 1970s, we could pickup the unit's clock with an FM radio. Presently, portable phone and wireless router/adapters often use the same 2.4 GHz frequency and don't co-exist well.