Hi, I have been having a look at utilising RF and trying to understand how every device around me emits RF.
I recently came across RTL-SDR and HackRF, alongside software like SDR++, TempestSDR, gqrx etc. I know that I can spy on my monitor and record keyboard keys being pressed using RF, but what are some other ways I should be looking at to exploit my digital vulnerabilities, and trying to solve such problems?
Thanks!
Edit: I’m well aware that nothing I’m doing is that interesting to security agencies across the globe. With that said, I’m interested in maintaining my privacy, and this happens to be an avenue I find interesting. Any suggestions on how I can look to do so would be greatly appreciated!
Are you doing something that nation state security groups would find interesting?
If yes, then you are already compromised by asking about it here.
If no, then you have no such problems.
Simply put, no one cares about you enough to go to the trouble and even if they did, there are much easier ways to gather the information they need.
That does not mean it is not interesting to investigate but you do not have to worry about people looking to exploit my digital vulnerabilities as you are not that interesting for anyone to go to the trouble this sort of work entails.
Thank you, and it is exactly as you say: I’m not doing anything worth any interest to the state. With that said, from what I can see, with just some experience and interest it would be trivial to see what I’m typing on my screen right now and I wouldn’t even know. I’d like to know more about how one can exploit RF, and then learn to secure myself, even if I display blatant signs of unwarranted paranoia in the process.
Ok, now move your monitoring equipment outside your home, into a van parked across the street.
How trivial is it now?
Have someone swap out your monitor for a different random model so that you don’t know what it is.
How trivial is it now?
There are four screens in the room that I am typing this and another in a room a few meters away. You now need to isolate the rf bleed of one from all the rest.
How trivial is it now?
I am now using my laptop at the local library where there are about 100 screens of various pcs and laptops.
How trivial is it now?
That is my point. When you have actual physical access to the equipment in a controlled environment, stuff like this is relatively easy.
When you don’t and need to do it in an actual real world scenario where you want to keep the target unaware of what you are doing it becomes so hard that unless a nation state is watching you it will never happen.
It is not paranoia to investigate this.
Believing you need to secure yourself? Yeah that is moving towards paranoia.
Paranoia, on some level is an aspect of narcissism.
I am so special that others want to know what I am trying to hide.
Trust me, no one gives a shit.
I understand your point, although I do not believe that I’m much of a narcissistic person.
I also do realise that it is not trivial for a random person to spy on me - thank you for the example.
With that said, I do still want to know. Regardless of whether I think I’m special, that I have something to hide, or if I’m paranoid. Could you point me in the right direction?
Honestly, if you are serious about limiting RF leakage. The simplest and easiest avenue I can suggest is to build a faraday cage around you equipment.
No expensive testing equipment required.
It won’t be pretty or convenient but a couple of hundreds dollars in 2 by 4s and chicken wire will block out your theoretical neighbour from scanning from the apartment above, below or from any direction.
Of course that will mean you can’t use WIFI but I assume you know that already.
don’t use 2x4s. Furring strips are way cheaper and would take up less of the interior space while doing the job just as well.
But yeah, it’s also
dumbpointless, so don’t do that.Thanks, I was thinking the same thing. But how would I build a Faraday-cage for a bunch of cables? Say, the HDMI cable to my monitor and the USB cable to my keyboard.
Why would this hamper my usage of WiFi though? I’m going to be using WPA3 very soon, at which point trying to hack into it becomes quite arduous and I suppose nobody but nation states have undisclosed backdoors for such marvellous technology.
Rubber hose cryptanalysis <3