Transmissions» research archives | blog.kikbot.org

Powerline Exploit Allows Keylogging via Ground or Laser

kikbot — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:01:09 +0000

Hackers are now able to log keystrokes via grounded outlets or remotely by laser. Pretty ingenious when you think about it but even more to worry about if your security conscious. The exploit is achieved by monitoring the grounded electrical circuit within 15 feet of the target. When a keyboard is used it generates a different frequency from 10 to 20 Kilohertz. When the computer is plugged into a power source the the frequency from the keys are seen on the ground output. The same results can be achieved at greater distances but using a laser. By shining the laser on the computer or even objects around the computer they are able to capture the reflections from the vibration of the keys. Amazing work really and something work noting if security is important to you. Networkworld has the entire article and it’s worth a read so check it out.

How to use electrical outlets and cheap lasers to steal data.

Laser is more than a word

kikbot — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:56:55 +0000

Laser is more than a device that emits light it’s an acronym for how it is achieved; Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers emit mostly Coherent light which means light of one particular wavelength conversely light bulbs and our own Sun are not coherent light sources. Lasers also emit light in the visible spectrum from 400nm (nanometers) to 800nm as well as in the invisible from Ultraviolet below 400nm to Infrared above 800nm. Lasers that emit the three primary colors Red, Blue and Green are called “White lasers” and although each laser is coherent the combined output is not.

Green lasers are the easiest to see because our eyesight is most sensitive to those wavelengths. Everyone see the other frequencies of the the visible spectrum differently but green is the one color that most people see clearly. Some people see our yellow sun as different colors but some of that is due to the angle we are viewing the sun.

The sun is considered yellow because of it’s temperature it’s not because it looks yellow.

Interface, Design and Prototyping

kikbot — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:27:53 +0000

Creating a good design is not easy and it’s not meant to be. It requires prototypes to flesh out all the bugs. What makes a good design? Something performs above standard and that has an interface that is intuitive and simple. Any hammer can drive a nail, some do it better than others. And that is what I’m talking about here, doing it better than it has been done before. Some of things that designers gloss over are the interface. They either try to make it look cool and give you a lot of functions or they don’t care and just want the product released. This can be a problem for any product, most of time marketing will win and the consumer is duped into thinking they have purchased the best choice. We all get fooled at one time or another, until we learn our lesson and try to recall it before our next purchase. This shouldn’t be the case, no product should be sold if it cannot perform to a standard. Unfortunately we are always going to have weed through the crap to find that Gem. Do your research before buying, what do other people say about that model. Look at it for yourself and see how it feels to you, this can be hard with internet purchases so all the more reason to do the research. Remember you can still find products locally to test them and then buy them for a better deal online.

A message to all designers out there, take time to find out what the customer wants. Too many times products are released before they are ready. If the revision will fix that problem, revise it then sell it. Take your time to do it right and you wont need to do it a second time. Prototype and find out what works and what does not. Make products that perform above standard and are intuitive and simple to use and you will always have customers.

Fermi Paradox revisited

kikbot — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:21:43 +0000

I’ve talked about this before but never on kikbot.org, it’s time I put it on record.

Wikipedia: Fermi Paradox

The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between the high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations.

Well it seems we must not be as advanced as we think, or we live in a remote location. Whatever the reason we will eventually moved beyond edge of our solar system and be closer to knowing whether we have any neighbors. I don’t count probes, many satellites have already achieved this milestone, but humans have not. That is the key to finding other species among the stars. With life almost proven to exist on Mars, right in our back yard, the chances are good that we are not alone.