How do I learn more about using RF to improve my privacy?
Hi, I have been having a look at utilising RF and trying to understand how every device around me emits RF.
I recently came across RTL-SDR and HackRF, alongside software like SDR++, TempestSDR, gqrx etc. I know that I can spy on my monitor and record keyboard keys being pressed using RF, but what are some other ways I should be looking at to exploit my digital vulnerabilities, and trying to solve such problems?
Thanks!
Edit: I'm well aware that nothing I'm doing is that interesting to security agencies across the globe. With that said, I'm interested in maintaining my privacy, and this happens to be an avenue I find interesting. Any suggestions on how I can look to do so would be greatly appreciated!
That does not mean it is not interesting to investigate but you do not have to worry about people looking to exploit my digital vulnerabilities as you are not that interesting for anyone to go to the trouble this sort of work entails.
Thank you, and it is exactly as you say: I'm not doing anything worth any interest to the state. With that said, from what I can see, with just some experience and interest it would be trivial to see what I'm typing on my screen right now and I wouldn't even know. I'd like to know more about how one can exploit RF, and then learn to secure myself, even if I display blatant signs of unwarranted paranoia in the process.
it would be trivial to see what I’m typing on my screen right now
Ok, now move your monitoring equipment outside your home, into a van parked across the street.
How trivial is it now?
Have someone swap out your monitor for a different random model so that you don't know what it is.
How trivial is it now?
There are four screens in the room that I am typing this and another in a room a few meters away. You now need to isolate the rf bleed of one from all the rest.
How trivial is it now?
I am now using my laptop at the local library where there are about 100 screens of various pcs and laptops.
How trivial is it now?
That is my point. When you have actual physical access to the equipment in a controlled environment, stuff like this is relatively easy.
When you don't and need to do it in an actual real world scenario where you want to keep the target unaware of what you are doing it becomes so hard that unless a nation state is watching you it will never happen.
even if I display blatant signs of unwarranted paranoia in the process.
It is not paranoia to investigate this.
then learn to secure myself,
Believing you need to secure yourself? Yeah that is moving towards paranoia.
Paranoia, on some level is an aspect of narcissism.
I am so special that others want to know what I am trying to hide.
I don’t think an RTL-SDR is going to help you with any sort of privacy outside of maybe validating that your devices aren’t emitting typical RF while they off. You aren’t realistically going to become an electronic warfare master with some shitty home equipment and no formal training.
Best route is to start combing through security conference presentations for anything relevant to your lifestyle.
A lot of the cutting edge information gathering stuff isn’t exactly practical for widespread use. I guess somebody living a floor above you could capture your wireless traffic, but you’re not interesting enough for them to dedicate high sensitivity antennas and bespoke equipment to phreak your keyboard strokes and break out fucking differential power analysis techniques on your home.
Practice good data and security hygiene, stay off social media when possible, and don’t use IOT devices. If anybody wants to get at you, and I mean really wants to get at you, there’s nothing you’re going to be able to do about it besides giving up all electronics.
Thanks, I realise that I'm an absolute beginner in this, and a cheap dongle isn't going to make me a guru. I don't even aim to be one, as such: I just want to know what my devices are emitting, and how easy it is to snoop on and decrypt such signals.
I will have a look at differential power analysis, thanks for mentioning that. I am not very good with electrical engineering concepts, but I'd like to learn as much as I need to.
I know that it is almost impossible to run from the state. With that said, if an average person decides they want to be able to snoop on my activity, I'd like to nip such efforts immediately.
I came off as pretty aggressive, so I apologize. I’ve been interested in this field for a while and I am still an amateur in most aspects. This isn’t really an area that’s intuitive or easy to pick up for most people.
You’ve come out of the gate swinging. It’s technically possible for people to do the things you’re exploring… but the same people who are publishing these techniques and concepts are professionals. They may not have formal education in computer science, but they have the experience.
Spend time going over things like DEFCON presentations. Sharpen your coding skills. Vacuum up free courseware from sources like MIT.
You can probably pick up “normal” RF with a cheap SDR antenna setup, but then what? You are stuck with some waves and no idea what to do with them. Are you picking up intentional Bluetooth? How would you recognize Bluetooth that’s frequency hopping? Looking at RF waveforms for modern communications is absolutely ugly and tedious.
There’s so much to learn. You need to pick one topic and dig in. All of these things have much more depth than we can explain over lemmy.
Thank you, but as I note in my edit, it is an avenue which I would like to explore with respect to privacy concerns. Technically speaking, if someone had the interest, they could sit a floor below me, tune in and be able to see what I'm typing right now. Not saying that anyone would specifically do this, but the point remains that it is cheap and somewhat easy to do so.
You should try this. I guarantee that it’s nowhere near as easy as you’re thinking.
There’s a huge difference between proof of concept activities and useful, fruitful information gathering and analysis.
If you’re going to be downloading programs and running scripts without doing the work to understand how these tools were built and how to modify them to suit your use cases, then you aren’t actually going to get anything useful out of them.