Side Channel Attacks

When any electronic device is working, as part of performing its duty, it may emit energy, which could be vibration, sound, electro-magnetic signals, radiation, etc.

The frequncy, magnitude, duration, and pattern of such emission may reveal what type of activity this device is engaging in, e.g., when the emission continues for 2 hours non stop at a high magnitude, we can infer that the device is busy on one very long and resource-consuming task.

What's more, when an attacker knows what the device type, make, model, etc. is, with enough observation time (and, of course, with suitable hacking equipment/exploits,) he or she can learn deeper details about what the device is doing, including specific, sensitive data that the device processes at that moment.

• Because the attacker gained enough knowledge about a device model, they can distinguish between subtle enegry emissions and, thereby, learn what data goes through the device!