Re: Don't trust the net too much

[Doug Hughes <Doug.Hughes@Eng.Auburn.EDU>]

>
>Adam Shostack writes:
>> 	More specifically, few items sensitive electronic items are
>> hardened against electromagnetic pulses.  Ever see a speaker interfere
>> with your TV set?
>
>Thats because electrons flying along long free paths in the vacuum of
>your picture tube are easy to move off of path. However, I'll point
>out that magnetic fields are always generated by dipoles and fall off
>very fast with time. I'll also point out that you'd need a damn
>powerful field to do the following:
>
>> Build a big enough speaker, and you can screw with your computers
>> memory.
>
>I'd have to hear very, very powerful evidence that this was possible,
>especially at a distance.
>
>Perry
>
>
>

For people interested in electromagnetic fields, TEMPEST, emanations,
crashing computers, and electronics eavesdropping:

Go see Winn Schwartau talk about HERF guns sometime. He passed around
a picture of a device for < US$500 that could crash any computer within
50 yards..  Then again, it isn't too good for the person firing the gun
either.. (mega EM emissions).

The parts are available if you know what to get. a VERY enlightening
and frightening presentation. I don't think he personally has built one.
His presentation contained a presentation on TEMPEST emissions, and
low level EM field effects on sensitive equipment problems too (a PBS
documentary - a VERY compelling presentation of why you should never
use walkman/CD players/radios/electronics equipment on airplanes if
they say not to, and you value your life)

Obviously, the further you get away, the faster the field decays, so
range to target is important. Then again, the US purportedly used a kind 
of HERF bomb against Iraqi telecommunications bunkers during the Persian
Gulf war. (No I don't have any references about this, but it shouldn't
be that hard to verify).

--
____________________________________________________________________________
Doug Hughes					Engineering Network Services
System/Net Admin  				Auburn University
			doug@eng.auburn.edu
		"Real programmers use cat > file.as"