Re: [ISN] E-BOMB

From: InfoSec News (isnat_private)
Date: Sun Sep 30 2001 - 03:11:54 PDT

  • Next message: InfoSec News: "[ISN] Diffie, Sterling, Lessig, et al., interviewed"

    Forwarded from: Darren Reed <darrenrat_private>
    
    In some email I received from InfoSec News, sie wrote:
    > Forwarded from: Russell Coker <russellat_private>
    > 
    > On Fri, 21 Sep 2001 09:39, you wrote:
    > > http://popularmechanics.com/science/military/2001/9/e-bomb/print.phtml
    > >
    > > BY JIM WILSON
    > > September 2001
    > >
    > > In the blink of an eye, electromagnetic bombs could throw
    > > civilization back 200 years. And terrorists can build them for
    > > $400.
    > 
    > This is a very interesting article, but it fails to mention one
    > crucial point.  What is the effect of an EMP weapon on magnetic
    > storage?
    
    Somewhere in that article, it mentions "magnetic field", if I recall
    correctly.  I don't remember enough physics to recall the interfaction
    between faraday cages and magnetic fields (of what strength even?).
    
    Elsewhere on this topic mention of faraday cages has been made.
    
    On that topic someone said that isn't enough.  The most important
    point is you _cannot_ have _any_ wires going in or out of that faraday
    cage - it needs to be completely eletrically isolated.  No data leads,
    no power leads going in or out of it that contain a conductor.  For
    data, this is an easy problem: fibre.  100BaseFX, ATM, GigE, FDDI come
    to mind.  But how do you fix the problem of power?  Does anyone know
    of any mechanical (or other) means of getting power into/out of a
    faraday cage without there being any conductive path through ?  Where
    do you go to buy such equipment (assuming it is unclassified) ?  Can
    you buy, for example, laser based power couplers ?  (power in one
    side, laser beam over 6 inces, power out the other side).
    
    I'm almost 100% sure a UPS is not going to save you.  Their reaction
    times are too slow for the rise generated by an E-Bomb and even then
    some of them will switch out to save themselves and your equipment
    goes "boom".
    
    Darren
    
    
    
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