{"id":208,"date":"2017-02-07T15:42:45","date_gmt":"2017-02-07T15:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.databreachlawyers.co.uk\/news\/?p=208"},"modified":"2017-02-07T16:00:18","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T16:00:18","slug":"air-gapping-computers-best-way-prevent-breach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.databreachlawyers.co.uk\/news\/air-gapping-computers-best-way-prevent-breach","title":{"rendered":"Are ‘air-gapping’ computers the best way to prevent a breach?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in the days where data breaches and hacks were a new phenomenon, ‘air-gapping’ was a term which meant that it was nearly impossible for computers to be breached.<\/p>\n

Air-gapping is a security measure that isolates a computer away from a network. By doing so, the computer stands alone. The security method was thought to be 100 per cent effective as it allows data contained within the computer to be safe from hacking.<\/p>\n

In the growing age of data leaks and hacks, is this the only way we can truly protect ourselves?
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\nUltimately, an air-gapped computer is physically separated and can’t connect wirelessly or physically with other computers or network devices. But hacking has come a long way, and humans have intervened, and even hacking the safest cyber-security methods may not be impossible.<\/p>\n

Easy method of hacking into an air-gapped computer?<\/h2>\n

Air-gapped computers are apparently becoming easier to hack.<\/p>\n

As simple as it sounds, they can be breached by attaching a USB stick into the machine. Of course, as with anything, it can be slightly more complicated than that…<\/p>\n

A human could act as an intermediary i.e. gain the trust of an employee and then they could attach the USB stick, which could be in the form of a Wi-Fi dongle or a flash drive. Once the device has entered the machine, it’s effectively breached. This method just requires an employee to make a “rookie error” by allowing a USB device onto the system which can then exfiltrate the data.<\/p>\n

A simple solution to this would be to limit access to the machine. Depending on how sensitive the data is, the machine may need to be locked away or secured in a separate room. If a separate room isn’t possible, the computer could be placed in an office of a trusted employee.<\/p>\n

There is still a flaw in this technique: the issue comes that humans will interact with the machine. Air-gapping’s main problem is that, once multiple individuals have access to the machine, who becomes accountable in the event of a data breach? It also highlights whether employees are trusted to interact with the machine.<\/p>\n

Harder methods of hacking into an air-gapped computer<\/h3>\n

Aside from hacking into computers using a simple USB stick, air-gapped computers can be hacked using more complex strategies. Research suggests that the following methods have been successful:<\/p>\n

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