Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Thought that folks might be interested in this

KeyScrambler: How keystroke encryption works to thwart keylogging threats

I am on the mailing list for TechRepublic and they usaly have some interesting articals.


Here is the link to the paper:

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/secur ... ag=nl.e036

You need a hardware solution. I.e. the microprocessor in the keyboard. Although, even that isn't perfect. This does nothing to protect a boot up passphrase for whole disk encryption. Remember there was that Apple bug that allowed your keyboard microprocessor programming to be owned with a keylogger?

Edit: If anyone makes an encrypted keyboard, I'm so buying it!

gunderwood wrote:Edit: If anyone makes an encrypted keyboard, I'm so buying it!

In order for that to work, I guess you would need an encryption/decryption device built into the motherboard as well, eh? Maybe like a crypto USB port or something along those lines.

While KeyScrambler looks pretty interesting for some of today's threats, it doesn't--and can't--solve the fundamental problem of getting your system compromised. Anything that can run in the CPU's privileged mode (on 32-bit and above x86, that means Ring 0) can affect anything else, too. That's how Sony's infamous rootkit of 2005 DoS'ed people's CD/DVD-ROM drives.

The correct fix for these types of compromises is to stop using insecure OS's like Microsoft Windows in the first place. I would recommend a desktop-oriented distribution of GNU/Linux (e. g. Ubuntu). Really good stuff.

allingeneral wrote:

gunderwood wrote:Edit: If anyone makes an encrypted keyboard, I'm so buying it!

In order for that to work, I guess you would need an encryption/decryption device built into the motherboard as well, eh? Maybe like a crypto USB port or something along those lines.

I could come with a couple of implementations. One would be that. There are ways around that with secure processors and crypto hashes, but you are essentially correct that something on the host machine (preferably at a very low level...TPM/bios support would be sweet!) would need to understand the encrypted keystrokes. The host machine mods really are no different than what that program they suggested does or what LUKS does or Truecrypt.

Hmm, perhaps I need to get a Dallas Semiconductor dev board for their secure MP line.

Cowboy and gunderwood have it nailed...preventing compromise in the first place is the best defense and any software feature can eventually be defeated by hackers...bottom line is the only truly secure computer is the one unplugged and packed in a carton...