Pages leaked from the supposed National Security Agency – Advanced Network Technology (NSA-ANT) catalog reveal eavesdropping and spy technology using advanced wireless communications (revealed in Der Spiegel in 2013 here). Edward Snowden may not be on your Christmas list, and the NSA may or may not be out to get you, but here’s the thing, if the NSA has such devices, surely other nation states and advanced criminal espionage organizations can be expected to have similar items available. In the past, one may have assumed this type of technology existed, but now there is clear description of some of the potential threats.
A number of the NSA-ANT product sheets are displayed on Wikipedia as well as other websites revealing leaked information. Take a look at a few of them listed below.
Detection of such devices goes beyond the normal cyber-crime security efforts. These miniature circuits can appear as standard pieces of network equipment yet are able to transmit stolen data directly into the enemy’s (or competitor’s) hands. Clearly TSCM sweeps involving advanced signal detection and other electronic tests as well as detailed physical inspections are essential for protecting your network infrastructure. TSCM should be considered a valued partner in combating espionage and included in cyber and all information security efforts.
Consider the following (click on image for enlarged view):
Cottonmouth: A USB hardware implant that will provide a wireless bridge into a target network as well as the ability to load exploit software into a target PC.
Cottonmouth USB implant.
Firewalk: A bidirectional network implant capable of collecting and injecting Ethernet packets out of and into a target network.
Firewalk, RJ45 implant.
Howlermonkey: A custom short to medium range implant RF transceiver.
Howlermonkey: implant RF transceiver.
Ragemaster: Intercepts video signal from a VGA cable allowing screen information to be picked up, demodulated and passed to a processing unit and viewed on an external monitor.
