TGXf Project Warns of File Transfer through Screen Pixels
Weird data transfer technique avoids all standard security measures.
Ian Latter, of the Through Glass Transfer project (TGXf), presented a paper at the Kiwicon conference describing a technique for clientless data transfer through pixels on a standard display monitor.
The TGXf project provides a suite of tools intended to debunk the myth that data transfer requires some form of network communication that is detectable by monitoring network traffic. Some security standards, such as the US HIPAA medical records standard, make a distinction between records that can be transmitted over the network and records that should only be used on an isolated system. The TGXf project considers this distinction irrelevant, and they have developed tools to prove it.
The TGXf protocol transfers data by outputting QR codes to the screen. A simple HDMI recorder, or even a smartphone, can capture the screen out put and analyze it later to recover the file. Of course, the system must be compromised to produce the QR-coded screen output, but the important thing is, no trace of the data transfer is left behind, and no server/client communication reveals that the data transfer is taking place.
The TGXf project offers other alternatives for this client-less data transfer, including ThruKeyboardXfer (TKXf), which captures keyboard output through an Arduino board attached to a USB port.
The TGXf techniques do require physical access to the system, but they circumvent all common security measures. According to the TGXf website, the problems revealed through the TGXf project do not even have a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures ID, because they aren't actually a vulnerabilities but represent, instead, "a flaw in the end-to-end architecture."
Issue 269/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Kubuntu Focus Announces XE Gen 2 Linux Laptop
Another Kubuntu-based laptop has arrived to be your next ultra-portable powerhouse with a Linux heart.
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.