ON TOP OF YOUR IA GAME?

Why TEMPEST ICT protection matters more now than ever

by David G Watson

We welcome contributions from our corporate membership. TIA Group is a sovereign Electro-Mechanical design and integration company with a dedicated Lab and Manufacturing facility based in Gloucester. They have pedigree in the design, development, manufacture and support of bespoke Electronics capabilities with long established record of success in the specialisms of EMC & TEMPEST equipment and consulting for Defence and Government. It is important to be reminded of physical factors at a time when most attention is focussed on AI.

Introduction

There are people, even some in senior ICT security positions within Defence and Government who have never even heard of TEMPEST, and unfortunately, they are not in the minority. TEMPEST covers an area of ICT security that has for the most part, been an almost uniquely Defence and Government need, with some major corporates who take their data security extremely seriously also dipping their toes in the water.

So, what is it exactly? TEMPEST is the term for an electromagnetic (EM) phenomenon of electrical/electronic equipment which may also be known as Electronic Eavesdropping of Side-Channel attack. There are a number of online videos which will talk you through it, along with demonstrations, however, TEMPEST is the term given to the enhanced physical protection measures added to ICT equipment/platforms in order to protect against the ‘leakage’ of compromising RF emissions. That is to say, all electronic equipment emits or radiates Radio Frequency to varying levels (think electromagnetic compatibility; EMC), and these often have a direct correlation with the data being processed. So, somebody who wants to steal your data, but is struggling to defeat your well managed ICT/Cyber security measures could with some fairly simple equipment, intercept those emissions from your ICT equipment, and reconstitute them to view or recreate your secured data. Of course, all of this takes place with absolutely no evidence of any ‘soft’ interference/hacking of your network and so you will be blissfully unaware it has even been stolen. The actual risk of TEMPEST attacks on modern electronic systems depends on several factors including the strength and frequency of the electromagnetic emissions, the distance between the target system and the attacker, and the sensitivity of the information being transmitted.

Link to full article.