Re: IT monitoring, NT and things like hushmail

• Previous message: Ian Piper: "Re: Help with understanding sub-key generation in Blowfish"
• In reply to: hfs2: "IT monitoring, NT and things like hushmail"
• Next in thread: George: "Re: IT monitoring, NT and things like hushmail"
• Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]

From: "ošin" <ošin@ragnarok.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 07:28:40 -0800

> I can't name the package, but yesterday I saw an IT
> weenie click click and plop another users desktop right on
> his monitor. I have a question about how this works. Let me
> use my mail hushmail as an example.
Sounds like it was PC Anywhere or something similar.

> I understand that the data is secure into the applet where it get
decrypted.
What applet?

> But then what?

That depends.

> How can it then be sure that the data displayed isn't
> intercepted by these monitors used in IT?

You cannot be sure. Unless of course you are the admin and your prevent the
installation of such monitoring programs. Even that might not help... heard
of a key logger virus named Magic Lantern? Same thing could be used to
remotely monitor your desktop.

> Does the monitor
> program sit between the graphics card and the monitor, incepting
everything
> sent to the tube?

No, probably not, since by that stage, the data is in an awkward video
format. However, that is similar to how TEMPEST works. But if you have a
network access, then that would be silly.

> And if so, is there anyway to defeat it.
Not if you are not the admin of your machine.

> The only way I could see to do it would be to use a mailer/reader that
> first downloaded all the encrypted material, then disconnected the
> network port, then displayed. Then I guess you'd have to look for logs
> or something like that.
That might help, but then the attacker could store the secret until the
network was reconnected again. So I guess not.

> Yes, I know I could always read my mail at home, but even there the
> same question. How could I be sure?

Same story at home as at work, except that (depending on your lifestyle,
beliefs, behavior, history) you may not be of any interest to anybody. But
your ISP could be cooperating with the Carnivore program.

• Previous message: Ian Piper: "Re: Help with understanding sub-key generation in Blowfish"
• In reply to: hfs2: "IT monitoring, NT and things like hushmail"
• Next in thread: George: "Re: IT monitoring, NT and things like hushmail"
• Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]