[mdlug] [Fwd: [opensuse-offtopic] And now the Manchurian microchip]

[Michael Rudas]

--- Aaron Kulkis  wrote:

> This is as startling as in the late 80's when George Goble
> (author of the first multi-CPU Unix kernel, and builder of
> the first dual-VAX to run it on) came back from a security
> conference visibly distressed. I asked him what was up, and
> he said that he learned that he could sit at his computer
> in a windowless room with the door locked, and someone
> across the hall, or even across the street, could read
> his (or anyone else's) computer screen in real time.

> [I *BELIEVE* that method won't work with LCD screens -- it
> relies on detecting the electric field made by the electron
> guns, and reconstructing the display]
[snip]
> And now the Manchurian microchip

The first one IS plausible, though not as much a risk as you might
think.  As you correctly surmised, LCDs are invulnerable to this sort
of hack--but even a CRT's "leakage" would max out at about 20 feet (if
that much).  As a former TV & computer-monitor repairman, I can state
this with a very high degree of confidence.

But I call "Bullshit!" on the second one.  First, few chips are
actually DESIGNED in China, though several silicon foundries are
located there--most designs come from the US, Taiwan, Europe, or
Japan--I sincerely doubt that the PRC government could "sneak in" the
circuitry to create such a back door, let alone integrate it AND hide
the OS-agnostic code to make it active without it being discovered
early on.

~~ Michael Rudas
    My home page: http://MRudas.2Ya.com
    My blog: http://FaveSoft.blogspot.com