When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Russia

Just About Everything In Your House Can Be Hacked

Israeli researchers recently showed how data can be stolen from an offline computer. But computers aren't the only devices that can be compromised.

Just one keystroke away
Just one keystroke away
Elena Kudryavtseva

MOSCOW — For many years, the word "password" and "123456" were the world's most frequently used passwords. Although people have grown more security conscious and technology-savvy, the world of hacking is developing at a faster pace.

To draw attention to this problem, scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev recently demonstrated how to steal data from a computer that had been disconnected from all networks. They used Fansmitter, a software that can select a desired file on a computer and transmit the information on it through the air, literally.

The technology works on the premise that all information on a computer is in binary code, that is, either 1 or 0. In order to transmit a 1, the program launches a series of complicated calculations. The processor begins to work at full capacity, causing it to heat up and making the internal fan spin faster and louder. If it's slower and quieter, the program transmits a 0. The noise is recorded on a nearby smartphone that is then broadcast to another source.

"Remember how in the film Seventeen Moments of Spring a pot was placed on the window, which meant that all is well, and how its absence signified an ambush? That was the transfer of one bit of information through an unconventional way. Today, such opportunities are widespread in computer technologies," says Dmitry Kuznetsov, director of methodology and standardization at Positive Technologies, a cyber security firm.

This type of cyber crime is limited in its capability. It can only decipher one to two Kilobits of data over 24 hours. So, a top secret dossier may be out of reach. But the access code to a sensitive computer system can be obtained. This is particularly interesting given that all computers have fans, including ones that operate on nuclear power plants and military facilities. Is it then really possible to protect computer systems from leaks?

In Russia, unconventional information channels were studied in the mid-2000s. Back then, security services doubted such channels existed, and questioned whether or not allocating resources to fight them was a worthy cause. After their existence was proven by IT specialists, a national standard for information security was developed to prevent leaks. But the funding behind this branch was later cut off, according to experts, putting Russia in a vulnerable position.

National leaders across the world worry about the compromise of computer systems. It is believed that the era of cyber crime began in 1983, when a student, Kevin Mitnick, breached ARPANET — the predecessor of the modern Internet. He was able to infiltrate computer systems at the Pentagon, and gained access to all files at the U.S. Department of Defense.

Several years later, 16-year-old Jonathan James hacked into NASA's server and stole the source code for the International Space Station. Since then, the number of cyber crimes has rapidly increased.

To avoid being detected by an antivirus, modern hackers specialize in masking what they are doing. Usually they steal information discreetly, hiding it in a massive flow of data that does not cause suspicion. You can encrypt text into a video or audio file in a way that will not change its size. For instance, you can hide encrypted information in a video clip of a family gathering. There are many ways to hide information, which is why tracing them is almost impossible.

For several years now, hackers have increased their working range to cover the "Internet of Things," that is, all gadgets that work at home and have network connectivity. From credit cards and cars to servers that contain medical information on patients, nothing is safe from hackers.

Smart home systems that combine several household appliances into one and have network access are of a particular interest to hackers. The refrigerator, alone, provides endless creative possibilities since owners allow the appliance to evaluate its contents and purchase replacements.

Cyber crimes like these are a rarity; voice-controlled appliances are targeted more often in security breaches. In addition to direct commands, these systems typically register all loud noises that they detect in a home and transmit the data through the Internet.

The "hits" this year included the hacking of a baby monitor and a toilet. Parents of a 3-year-old in San Francisco found out that the hacker was scaring the child at night by talking to him through the device. And a programmable toilet was pulled out of action by a group of hackers that gained access to all of its features. They were able to flush the toilet on command, frightening those using the toilet. Experts predict that we will soon spend the same amount of money protecting our gadgets as we do on their purchase.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Geopolitics

Senegal's Democratic Unrest And The Ghosts Of French Colonialism

The violence that erupted following the sentencing of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko to two years in prison left 16 people dead and 500 arrested. This reveals deep fractures in Senegalese democracy that has traces to France's colonial past.

Image of Senegalese ​Protesters celebrating Sonko being set free by the court, March 2021

Protesters celebrate Sonko being set free by the court, March 2021

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — For a long time, Senegal had the glowing image of one of Africa's rare democracies. The reality was more complicated than that, even in the days of the poet-president Léopold Sedar Senghor, who also had his dark side.

But for years, the country has been moving down what Senegalese intellectual Felwine Sarr describes as the "gentle slope of... the weakening and corrosion of the gains of Senegalese democracy."

This has been demonstrated once again over the last few days, with a wave of violence that has left 16 people dead, 500 arrested, the internet censored, and a tense situation with troubling consequences. The trigger? The sentencing last Thursday of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko to two years in prison, which could exclude him from the 2024 presidential elections.

Young people took to the streets when the verdict was announced, accusing the justice system of having become a political tool. Ousmane Sonko had been accused of rape but was convicted of "corruption of youth," a change that rendered the decision incomprehensible.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch

The latest