> A small team of spooks carrying a laptop, microwave device
> and various other bits of kit are not easily going to get access to our
> homes so they can "spook" pgp on our home pcs.
They don't need access.
The keyboard cable of the typical PC has a resonant frequency in the
VHF band. What you do is irradiate it at this frequency and measure
what comes back. This has the keycodes modulated on it, which they
can decode, and thus get hold of your pgp passphrase.
The equipment was developed by the German information security agency
and I presume it's available to all NATO intelligence services by now.
I don't know of anyone who sells it on the open market.
What you can buy for cash is a device that will pick up the stray VHF
and UHF that comes out of your monitor, and reconstruct the screen image
from it. It is called a Tempest monitoring receiver and you can get it
from Datasafe Ltd in Cheltenham. Cost about GBP 10,000 - 20,000 depending
on screen size, signal processing options, antennas etc. Range about 50
to 100 yards - more with an older PC in a quiet rural neighbourhood
Ross
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