[I.11] Electromagnetic emanations

Types of assets:

·         [HW] computer equipment (hardware)

·         [Media] media

·         [AUX] auxiliary equipment

·         [L] installations

Dimensions:

1.   [C] confidentiality

Description:

The fact of making internal data available to third parties by radio.. It is a threat in which the issuer is the passive victim of the attack.

Almost all electrical devices emit radiation to the exterior that can be intercepted by other equipment (radio receivers) causing a leak of information.

This threat is frequently but inaccurately called, a TEMPEST attack (“Transient Electromagnetic Pulse Standard”). Although abusing the original meaning, it is frequent to hear of equipment described as having “TEMPEST protection”, meaning that it is designed not to emit electromagnetically anything of interest in case somebody receives it.

This threat does not include emissions for the needs of communication media: wireless networks,  microwave links, etc. that may be threatened by interception.

Origin:

Environment (accidental)

Human (accidental or deliberate)

See:

EBIOS: 17 - INTERCEPTION OF COMPROMISING INTERFERENCE SIGNALS