InkFiltration: Using Inkjet Printers for Acoustic Data Exfiltration from Air-Gapped Networks

Abstract

Printers have become ubiquitous in modern office spaces, and their placement in these spaces been guided more by accessibility than security. Due to the proximity of printers to places with potentially high-stakes information, the possible misuse of these devices is concerning. We present a previously unexplored covert channel that effectively uses the sound generated by printers with inkjet technology to exfiltrate arbitrary sensitive data (unrelated to the apparent content of the document being printed) from an air-gapped network. We also discuss a series of defense techniques that can make these devices invulnerable to covert manipulation.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
May 04, 2022
Source ID
10.1145/3510583

Entities

People

  • Akash Deep Singh
  • Julian De Gortari Briseno
  • Mani Srivastava

Organizations

  • National Science Foundation
  • United States Army Research Laboratory
  • University of California, Los Angeles

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Data Science/Digital Signal Processing.
  • Cybersecurity.

Technology Areas

  • Space