Subject: Free Mouse and KB

From: [email-masked] (Gary Nichols)
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 12:26:36 -0700 (MST)

Bob George said:
> And unless you're using shielded equipment, someone can just as easily
> (though not necessarily cheaply) monitor your keystrokes from your
> wired keyboard, or capture screen images from your CRT monitor from
> some distance.

No doubt.

> I don't think even the most paranoid amongst us is running TEMPEST
> rated equipment.

Exactly my earlier point - coming from an environment where tempest rated
equipment was in use, modern consumer equipment is a joke to intercept.

> But am I mistaken in thinking that intercepting IR would require near
> line-of-sight?

Yes and no.  There are IR receivers so small and sensitive that they can be
placed near the environment where the IR equipment is in operation and
intercept a large percentage of the information that passes through the
spectrum.  I have seen such receivers used that had very poor LOS and still
worked ok.

> Then there were the interesting articles about being able to read
> datastreams from the blinking of modem lights...

Don't tell the RIAA - they'll be watching your blinky lights for those
illegally distributed mp3's.  :-)