CTRL-ALT-LED: Leaking Data from Air-Gapped Computers via Keyboard LEDs

Using the keyboard LEDs to send data optically was proposed in 2002 by Loughry and Umphress [1] (Appendix A). In this paper we extensively explore this threat in the context of a modern cyber-attack with current hardware and optical equipment. In this type of attack, an advanced persistent threat (APT) uses the keyboard LEDs (Caps-Lock, Num-Lock and Scroll-Lock) to encode information and exfiltrate data from airgapped computers optically. Notably, this exfiltration channel is not monitored by existing data leakage prevention (DLP) systems. We examine this attack and its boundaries for today's keyboards with USB controllers and sensitive optical sensors. We also introduce smartphone and smartwatch cameras as components of malicious insider and 'evil maid' attacks. We provide the necessary scientific background on optical communication and the characteristics of modern USB keyboards at the hardware and software level, and present a transmission protocol and modulation schemes. We implement the exfiltration malware, discuss its design and implementation issues, and evaluate it with different types of keyboards. We also test various receivers, including light sensors, remote cameras, 'extreme' cameras, security cameras, and smartphone cameras. Our experiment shows that data can be leaked from air-gapped computers via the keyboard LEDs at a maximum bit rate of 3000 bit/sec per LED given a light sensor as a receiver, and more than 120 bit/sec if smartphones are used. The attack doesn't require any modification of the keyboard at hardware or firmware levels.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1706.0114

OFDM Allocation Optimization for Crosstalk Mitigation in Multiple Free-Space Optical Interconnection Links

Abstract-The growing demand for high interconnection speed in next-generation computers is driving the technology-shift for communication from the electronic to the optic domain. One of the favored interconnection technologies for this task is the free-space optical interconnect (FSOI). FSOI technology uses laser links between computer components and provides a lower bound on propagation delay due to the low index of refraction of air, when compared with the indices common in waveguide technologies. FSOIs based on DC-biased optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (DCO-OFDM) may provide excellent data throughput in intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) systems. However, the main drawback limiting the implementation of FSOIs is the inevitable trade-off between interconnection density and the crosstalk level, resulting from the diffraction effect and from optical misalignment. The purpose of this paper is to promote improved interconnection density of such FSOIs by use of inherent DCO-OFDM resource allocation capabilities. The crosstalk-resulted interference was formulated as joint multi-link bit-and-power allocation optimization. The theoretical analysis reveals general guidelines for dense FSOI. Further, a reduced-complexity numerical sub-optimal algorithm for joint multi-link bit-and-power allocation was proposed. The simulation results show that the proposed suboptimal algorithm outcome is close to the theoretical optimal performance

Brachytherapy in organ-preserving treatment of choroidal melanoma: complications and the possibility of their prediction

This review analyzed the domestic and foreign literature on brachytherapy of choroidal melanoma using ruthenium ophthalmic applicators. The review highlights the historical aspects of radiation treatment, from the first experience of using ionizing radiation in the treatment of malignant neoplasms to modern methods of brachytherapy; presents the radiobiological foundations of radiation therapy; considers the issues of radiation pathomorphosis, reflecting the nature of pathological changes in the choroidal melanoma tissue during brachytherapy; shows the dependence of the effect of exposure ionizing radiation from the phase of the cycle of cell division; and also describes the presence of changes characteristic of the response to ionizing radiation in unirradiated tissues. The analysis of various post-radiation complications, both early and late, was carried out in some detail, with emphasis on the possibility of predicting and preventing them in real clinical practice. A comparison is made in terms of the frequency of development of various post-radiation complications in the works of domestic and foreign authors, as well as a comparison with the effect of ionizing radiation from other radioactive isotopes. Recommendations of experts are given regarding the correct calculation of the dose to the sclera and medication support, based on many years of experience in the use of ruthenium ophthalmic applicators for brachytherapy of choroidal melanoma. The risks of developing such late complications as radiation maculopathy and radiation neuropathy have been demonstrated, especially in pre-equatorial tumor localization. The possibilities of modern methods of instrumental diagnostics for studying the processes occurring in the area of the tumor, as well as changes in the surrounding tissues, are shown, which determines the feasibility and importance of further study of this issue

Memorandum on protecting the biosphere

Meeting: World Commission on Environment and Development, Public Hearing, 27 Feb. 1987, Tokyo, JPRelated to DAP 87-4249 under which IDRC supported the WCED to acquire and duplicate original papers, submissions, tapes and transcripts, became the depository of all original archival materials and received the right to microfiche the collection for broader disseminatio

Coherence Time Evaluation in Indoor Optical Wireless Communication Channels

The coherence time is the time over which the channel-gain-values correlation coefficient drops below a predefined threshold. The coherence time is typically used to quantify the pace of appreciable channel changes and is important, for example, for determining handoff and resource allocation time constraints. The goal of this work is to experimentally measure the coherence time of indoor optical wireless communication (OWC) channels under various mobile scenarios. The amount of movement was quantified by mobile sensor measurements. The experiments show that it is reasonable to assume that the channel varies slowly for a time period of ~100 milliseconds for most mobile scenarios