Wireless Keyboard Security

  • Thread starter Thread starter M and D
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M

M and D

I'd like to switch to a wireless keyboard, but I'm wondering if someone with the right kind of electronic equipment in the next house or in a car parked on the street could tell what I'm typing. Or perhaps someone in the next house or in a car could type things into my computer with their own keyboard and the right type of transmitter. Is this something I need to worry about?

Steven
 
M said:
I'd like to switch to a wireless keyboard, but I'm wondering if someone with the right kind of electronic equipment in the next house or in a car parked on the street could tell what I'm typing. Or perhaps someone in the next house or in a car could type things into my computer with their own keyboard and the right type of transmitter. Is this something I need to worry about?

Steven
Click to expand...
I don't think the range of the 27Mhz signal has any great range maybe
20'. But yes RF signals can be hacked. That is why government
installations use something called a shielded enclosure.
 
The "shielded enclosure" - is that something applied to the room with the wireless keyboard, or is that something applied to the keyboard itself?

Steven
 
M said:
The "shielded enclosure" - is that something applied to the room with the wireless keyboard, or is that something applied to the keyboard itself?

Steven
Click to expand...
Basically a shielded enclosure is a room that has a metal lining and all
mounting hardware for the metal does not touch the outside wall. Also
the electrical inputs go through a coil which means there is not direct
electrical connection to the outside world. The most important part is
the neutral and ground wires are also chocked so there is no connection
to an outside ground. The room is electrically floating with no contact
to the outside world.
 
Oh...that sounds a little radical for me, but I certainly see the value of it for governments, etc.

I'll be relying on the 20 ft (approx.) limitation, plus some wireless keyboards (Logitech, I think) have some sort of security feature that I'll have to check out.

Thanks for all the info.

Steven
 
old wives tale (but true!): the old IBM selectric typewritters (the ones
w/ the type ball) were notorious "leakers"; it was said that a spy in the
parking lot could pick up their emissions from over 100 yards away, even
through walls etc., and capture everything being typed. The soviets and
corporate spys loved 'em. It was just about that time when shielded rooms
became very popular.
 
Of course what you say is possible! But also...

If you type stuff on the internet there are ways for people to get that
information.

There are supercomputers monitoring each keyword types on chats, sites,
emails..
you name it.

Its kind of a big brother thing...

So if you have something that you dont want anyone to know... dont say it...

:-)



I'd like to switch to a wireless keyboard, but I'm wondering if someone with
the right kind of electronic equipment in the next house or in a car parked
on the street could tell what I'm typing. Or perhaps someone in the next
house or in a car could type things into my computer with their own keyboard
and the right type of transmitter. Is this something I need to worry about?

Steven
 
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