Air-gapping is leakier than you think: LED exfil at 100 kbps and dozens of side channels
dioscuri · x · 2026-09-18
A thread lists dozens of ways to defeat air gaps: machine LEDs can exfiltrate at up to 100 kbps out and even pump data in at 18.2 kbps; HDD/fan noise gives about 200 bits/second; plus electromagnetic leakage from cables and power fluctuations tied to CPU load. Physical isolation is far from secure.
A reply draws an analogy to cross-cueing in split-brain patients: with the hemispheres severed, information still takes the long way round via bodily cues picked up by the senses — much like side-channel attacks routing around isolation.
Related event: Air-Gapped Systems Still Leak: Dozens of Side-Channel Escape Routes(2 posts)→
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