TEMPEST is a National Security Agency specification and a NATO certification [1][2] referring to spying on information systems through leaking emanations, including unintentional radio or electrical signals, sounds, and vibrations.[3] TEMPEST covers both methods to spy upon others and also how to shield equipment against such spying. The protection efforts are also known as emission security (EMSEC), which is a subset of communications security (COMSEC).[4]
The NSA methods for spying upon computer emissions are classified, but some of the protection standards have been released by either the NSA or the Department of Defense.[5] Protecting equipment from spying is done with distance, shielding, filtering, and masking.[6] The TEMPEST standards mandate elements such as equipment distance from walls, amount of shielding in buildings and equipment, and distance separating wires carrying classified vs. unclassified materials,[5] filters on cables, and even distance and shielding between wires or equipment and building pipes. Noise can also protect information by masking the actual data.[6]
While much of TEMPEST is about leaking electromagnetic emanations, it also encompasses sounds and mechanical vibrations.[5] For example, it is possible to log a user's keystrokes using the motion sensor inside smartphones.[7] Compromising emissions are defined as unintentional intelligence-bearing signals which, if intercepted and analyzed (side-channel attack), may disclose the information transmitted, received, handled, or otherwise processed by any information-processing equipment.[
The NSA methods for spying upon computer emissions are classified, but some of the protection standards have been released by either the NSA or the Department of Defense.[5] Protecting equipment from spying is done with distance, shielding, filtering, and masking.[6] The TEMPEST standards mandate elements such as equipment distance from walls, amount of shielding in buildings and equipment, and distance separating wires carrying classified vs. unclassified materials,[5] filters on cables, and even distance and shielding between wires or equipment and building pipes. Noise can also protect information by masking the actual data.[6]
While much of TEMPEST is about leaking electromagnetic emanations, it also encompasses sounds and mechanical vibrations.[5] For example, it is possible to log a user's keystrokes using the motion sensor inside smartphones.[7] Compromising emissions are defined as unintentional intelligence-bearing signals which, if intercepted and analyzed (side-channel attack), may disclose the information transmitted, received, handled, or otherwise processed by any information-processing equipment.[
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