Eavesdropping attacks on computer displays
Markus Kühn · 2006
Electromagnetic information leakage from computer displays was first demonstrated to the general public by van Eck in 1985. Nearby eavesdroppers can pick up compromising emanations from computer hardware with directional antennas and wideband receivers. The basic phenomenon is easily demonstrated with modified TV sets. However, to separate practically readable text shown on modern high-resolution displays from interfering background noise, special digital wideband signal-processing systems are needed. Thanks to Moore’s law, access to such hardware is no longer restricted to well-funded spies, but has come within the reach of amateurs. The problem is not restricted to cathode-ray tubes; some contemporary flat-panel systems are at least as vulnerable.