Derek Banks

Again more doomer bullshit. And I quote “and this is mostly academic” Yes Noam, it is highly academic. What you’re referring to is most likely BitWhisper and/or perhaps or thermal covert channels on multi-core platforms or maybe even HVACKer which is a more recent extension of the work detailed in BitWhisper. Since you’re fear mongering like mad, perhaps someone should explain to the good people how ridiculous your statement is. Let’s start with BitWhisper. BitWhisper was published in the 2015 IEEE Computer Security Foundations Symposium (CSF). In this paper they experimentally tested machines positioned approximately 0–40 cm apart and reported effective communication rates of approximately 1–8 bits per hour. 1-8 bits per hour at a max of 40cm away! Now that’s a close distance for any true air gap and extraordinarily slow to take over the world don’t you think? Sure it may work for short commands or small secrets. But the statement you’re making is ludicrous. HOWEVER, any serious security professional understands that part of air gapping a machine should include shielding. You know like RF/EM shielding, acoustic shielding, optical shielding, USB/peripheral controls, power-line filtering/isolation, and yes thermal shielding, in addition to physical separation. Now what about thermal covert channels on multi-core platforms? That’s a goodie from USENIX Security 2015. Instead of transmitting heat between separate computers, they demonstrated communication between supposedly isolated components inside the same machine. Their experimental Intel Xeon system achieved thermal covert-channel rates of up to 12.5 bits/second. Now to your credit, a later review of covert-channel research explicitly categorizes temperature-based channels as working within a processor core, between processor cores, and between adjacent desktop computers. But again I point you back to what a real air gap is. And how it addresses, as in eliminates, the remote possibility of what you’re stating in the interview. So, on behalf of humanity we’re not mushrooms my man. So stop keeping us in the dark and feeding us bullshit. But hey, I get it. If any of you doomers set up a proper test environment you’d disprove all of your own assertions. 😂 Cc @mattjay @RSnake For reference: “BitWhisper: Covert Signaling Channel between Air-Gapped Computers Using Thermal Manipulations” by Mordechai Guri, Matan Monitz, Yisroel Mirsky & Yuval Elovici published March 26, 2015 (arXiv); subsequently published at IEEE CSF in July 2015. arxiv.org/abs/1503.07919 “Thermal Covert Channels on Multi-core Platforms” by Ramya Jayaram Masti, Devendra Rai, Aanjhan Ranganathan, Christian Müller, Lothar Thiele & Srdjan Capkun published March 24, 2015 (arXiv); published at USENIX Security in August 2015. ⁠arxiv.org/abs/1503.07000 “HVACKer: Bridging the Air-Gap by Attacking the Air Conditioning System” by Yisroel Mirsky, Mordechai Guri & Yuval Elovici published March 30, 2017. arxiv.org/abs/1703.10454