Uploaded October 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
The term 'air-gap' in cyber security refers to a situation in which a sensitive computer, classified network, or critical infrastructure is intentionally physically isolated from public networks such as the Internet. Air-gap isolation is mainly used to maintain trade secrets, protect confidential documents, and prevent personal information from being leaked out, accidently or intentionally.
In this talk, we focus on 'Bridgeware', a type of malware which allows attackers to overcome ('bridge') air-gap isolation in order to leak data. We talk about various covert channels proposed over the years, including electromagnetic, magnetic, acoustic, thermal, electrical and optical methods (and introduce new air-jumping technique from our recent research). We examine their characteristics and limitations, including bandwidth and effective distance. We also discuss the relevance of these threats and the likelihood of related cyber-attacks in the modern IT environment. Finally, we present different types of countermeasures to cope with this type of threat. We will include demo videos.
The term 'air-gap' in cyber security refers to a situation in which a sensitive computer, classified network, or critical infrastructure is intentionally physically isolated from public networks such as the Internet. Air-gap isolation is mainly used to maintain trade secrets, protect confidential documents, and prevent personal information from being leaked out, accidently or intentionally.
In this talk, we focus on 'Bridgeware', a type of malware which allows attackers to overcome ('bridge') air-gap isolation in order to leak data. We talk about various covert channels proposed over the years, including electromagnetic, magnetic, acoustic, thermal, electrical and optical methods (and introduce new air-jumping technique from our recent research). We examine their characteristics and limitations, including bandwidth and effective distance. We also discuss the relevance of these threats and the likelihood of related cyber-attacks in the modern IT environment. Finally, we present different types of countermeasures to cope with this type of threat. We will include demo videos.
