Category Archives: physicalsecurity

On the Security of Walls

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Interesting history of the security of walls: Dún Aonghasa presents early evidence of the same principles of redundant security measures at work in 13th century castles, 17th century star-shaped artillery fortifications, and even "defense in depth" security architecture promoted today by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and countless other security organizations world-wide. Security advances… Continue reading On the Security of Walls→

Cabinet of Secret Documents from Australia

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This story of leaked Australian government secrets is unlike any other I’ve heard: It begins at a second-hand shop in Canberra, where ex-government furniture is sold off cheaply. The deals can be even cheaper when the items in question are two heavy filing cabinets to which no-one can find the keys. They were purchased for small change and sat unopened… Continue reading Cabinet of Secret Documents from Australia→

Jackpotting Attacks Against US ATMs

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Brian Krebs is reporting sophisticated jackpotting attacks against US ATMs. The attacker gains physical access to the ATM, plants malware using specialized electronics, and then later returns and forces the machine to dispense all the cash it has insid… Continue reading Jackpotting Attacks Against US ATMs→

Jackpotting Attacks Against US ATMs

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Brian Krebs is reporting sophisticated jackpotting attacks against US ATMs. The attacker gains physical access to the ATM, plants malware using specialized electronics, and then later returns and forces the machine to dispense all the cash it has insid… Continue reading Jackpotting Attacks Against US ATMs→

Jackpotting Attacks Against US ATMs

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Brian Krebs is reporting sophisticated jackpotting attacks against US ATMs. The attacker gains physical access to the ATM, plants malware using specialized electronics, and then later returns and forces the machine to dispense all the cash it has inside. The Secret Service alert explains that the attackers typically use an endoscope — a slender, flexible instrument traditionally used in medicine… Continue reading Jackpotting Attacks Against US ATMs→

Turning an Amazon Echo into an Eavesdropping Device

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For once, the real story isn’t as bad as it seems. A researcher has figured out how to install malware onto an Echo that causes it to stream audio back to a remote controller, but: The technique requires gaining physical access to the target Echo, and it works only on devices sold before 2017. But there’s no software fix for… Continue reading Turning an Amazon Echo into an Eavesdropping Device→

Clever Physical ATM Attack

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This is an interesting combination of computer and physical attack: Researchers from the Russian security firm Kaspersky on Monday detailed a new ATM-emptying attack, one that mixes digital savvy with a very precise form of physical penetration. Kaspersky’s team has even reverse engineered and demonstrated the attack, using only a portable power drill and a $15 homemade gadget that injects… Continue reading Clever Physical ATM Attack→

Security Lessons from a Power Saw

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Lance Spitzner looks at the safety features of a power saw and tries to apply them to Internet security: By the way, here are some of the key safety features that are built into the DeWalt Mitre Saw. Notice in all three of these the human does not have to do anything special, just use the device. This is how… Continue reading Security Lessons from a Power Saw→