Studii privind securitatea informațiilor - analiză din perspectiva vulnerabilităților Tempest / Research on information security - analysis from the Tempest vulnerability perspective

This paper presents the security vulnerabilities of information technology and communication (IT&C) equipment due to electromagnetic emissions generated unintentionally by them. These issues are studied by the TEMPEST domain which refers to these electromagnetic emissions as compromising emanations. In the first part of this paper, the possibilities of recovering information transmitted on the USB bus at the data bit level for both keyboard peripherals and USB data storage devices are illustrated for the first time, as well as possible protection measures that can be applied at low cost. The efficiency of the protection of information displayed in text format by using TEMPEST security fonts, which have been protected by the Polish Patent and Design Office under Industrial Design No. 24487 and Patent No. 231691, as well as the security vulnerabilities of display equipment (monitors and projectors) were also presented. The color method was presented as the most comprehensive approach for assessing the vulnerabilities of the information displayed by IT&C equipment from the TEMPEST assessment perspective. The same approach can also be successfully used for the protection of displayed information. The last part of the paper presents methods of protection against reported vulnerabilities (use of TEMPEST protected equipment, shielded racks and tents) but also innovative methods of electromagnetic shielding of windows (curtains, drapes and shielding foils) and walls (shielding paint) of a physical space in which such equipment can be safely installed. The possibility of restoring information displayed at considerable distances (50 meters) by receiving electromagnetic disturbances generated by IT&C equipment, that propagates on their power line, was presented for the first time, as well as TEMPEST protection methods that can counteract this phenomenon.