7 - Physical-Cyber Attacks

Abstract

Cyber-physical attacks are not the only attacks that exploit interactions between cyberspace and physical space. The reverse, where an attack in physical space aims to affect the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of information in cyberspace, is by no means new or uncommon. During war, telecommunication cables have always been a prime target for physical attacks, and the intelligence community has long known of advanced techniques for eavesdropping on information leaked in physical space. We describe three representative categories of such physical-cyber attacks, including physical and electromagnetic attacks affecting availability, intentional manipulation of physical input to sensors affecting integrity, and exploitation of compromising emanations affecting confidentiality.