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Secure and private conference room

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SorCerer
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 9:44 am    Post subject: Secure and private conference room Reply with quote

After a pentest one of our clients asked us for a secure solution regarding a private conference room. Their main concern is that no bug-like equipment is brought inside the conference room by the employees, either aware or unaware of such actions.

The hardware required in the conference room will be restricted to a couple of desktops and a wall projector. A no-laptop / pda / electronic devices policy will be in place, and the only media allowed inside the conference room will be cd-roms.
As a security precaution, the computers have been assembled off site out of parts purchased from various suppliers, and there are no sound cards on the computers.
The internal network is not linked with any other network on site.

We were considering building two rooms, the actual conference room and the 'security check' room. Both will be sound proof, and both will be designed to be 'Faraday cages'.

Our first idea was to scan for various RF outputs in the security check room, but that measures could be easily overcome by bugs designed as M3DU54 described (store everything and only transmit data when receiving a special crafted 'packet'), rendering RF scanning useless.

We'd like to implement some sort of controlled EMP pulse, frying any bugs that an employee might carry. Of course in case of employees that have electronically medical devices (such as artificial harts), they would not be allowed in the room.

Is the EMP pulse harmful to a human person? Can it be controlled in such a way that will fry small electronically devices but pose no harm to human beings?

What other security measures would you implement to further harden the security in this case?
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jansson_markus
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

>As a security precaution, the computers have been
>assembled off site out of parts purchased from various
>suppliers, and there are no sound cards on the
>computers.

1) Still, encrypt entire physical hdd of the computers. Just incase...
2) Also, secure those settings so that nobody will bring in virus in the cdrom (for example, disable autorun features on cdroms) and only use the computer with user-level permissions etc.
3) Still keep it updated by downloading the patches and transferring them to the computer via cdroms. Otherwise buffer overruns in software (like image rendering) can cause you damage.

>The internal network is not linked with any other network
>on site.

It can still leak data. Dont make any network connections from inside to the outside of that secure room.

>Faraday cages'.

It can be penetrated using microwaves. Soviets did this to the US embassy in Moscow as early as 1960:s.
1) Put on scanners for all the microwave frequences outside the "cage" to detect such attacks.
2) Concider making double faraday cages and putting jammers (stuff transmitting in various frequences) between those two. Pain in the ass so to speak.
3) How are you protecting your power supply? It can also be monitored and trust me, lots and lots of information can be obtained from it. If at all possible, use batteries (UPS?) on everything inside the cage. Dont put a single electronic or electric line from outside the cage to the inside the cage. Carry the batteries with you to there (and store them in very safe enviroment for charging them.

>Our first idea was to scan for various RF outputs in the
>security check room, but that measures could be easily
>overcome by bugs designed as M3DU54 described

You could simply scan for metal at close range, since currently there arent any bugging devices I know of that would not have metal. Ofcourse, if your entire room is faradays cage, then you have to put some space to the "cage" and the "walls" that you have inside the room.

>(store everything and only transmit data when receiving a
>special crafted 'packet')

1) Fill the area with noise. You can buy various levels of "silent sound generators" that will transmit sounds that human ear cannot hear (low or high frequency) but will render listening devices totally useless (since they will hear them). They can cause some people some symptoms like nausea etc. however.
2) In top-top-top security, dont speak. Smile Use (dont know what they call them in english) kinda magnetic boards (childrens toys) where you can write with special pen (magnetic one) and then wipe the screen empty by press of a button.
3) Make sure you go throught the area scanning for small cameras too. If they cant hear, they could see you. Smile

>We'd like to implement some sort of controlled EMP pulse,

Well, very, very hard. If the employer/someone enables the bug only after the EMP has been done, its pretty invulnerable...also, EMP could fry your computers.

>frying any bugs that an employee might carry.

Simple: Ask employers to strip down to their underpants (yes, no shoes, no shirts, nothing like that) and put on special overalls when entering the space. Unless they have anal probe Wink they are sure not to carry in any bugs. No, no clocks, buttons, electronic devices, NOTHING (except paper and cdroms) are allowed to the secure room.

>What other security measures would you implement to
>further harden the security in this case?

24/7 security watch on the spot with very trusted people.
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