Thunderbolt ports are commonplace on many laptops today. They allow for high-speed connections for data transfer, video display, charging phones, and even the computer itself. However, as useful as Thunderbolt ports are, they also leave one’s computer vulnerable to hackers.
Theft and laptops go hand in hand. They are expensive, can hold sensitive information, and are relatively easy to carry around and conceal. However, to counter this, laptops come equipped with encryption techniques for data and passwords. However, these safety measures will prove futile against Thunderspy.
What is Thunderspy
Thunderspy is a technique requiring physical access to a computer and utilizes the thunderbolt port on one’s machine. Using this technique, individuals can access a computer’s information regardless if the computer is sleeping, locked, or encrypted.
Even if one’s system comes equipped with Kernel DMA protection for Thunderbolt 3, a countermeasure that protects one’s machine from Direct Memory Attacks (DMA), you are still not entirely protected from this attack. Kernel DMA protection will only protect your computer from a few vulnerabilities that Thunderspy exploits.
Intel has made a statement regarding Thunderspy, stating that with Kernel DMA protection active, they were unable to hack into a machine’s data successfully.
If you wish to find out if your system is vulnerable, the security researcher (Ruytenberg) who discovered the vulnerability has released a tool that allows Windows and Linux users to check their systems. Although, the only real way to make sure that your system is safe from this type of attack is to make sure that Thunderbolt is disabled or make sure that no unauthorized access to your machine takes place.
Are you worried that your data is unprotected and vulnerable to attacks? Worried your sensitive information may leak onto the internet? Hammett Technologies will make sure that all your personal and business information is encrypted and secured. By monitoring all corners of the internet, including the Dark Web, we make sure that even if your data does leak, it becomes unavailable as quickly as it appeared.