If cyber espionage via HDMI worries you, NCSC built a device to stop it

If cyber espionage via HDMI worries you, NCSC built a device to stop it A new cybersecurity device developed by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) should be a helpful solution for protecting governments and businesses from malicious activity carried through display connections.

Called SilentGlass, the plug-and-play tool is designed to protect HDMI and DisplayPort links from potential cyberattacks.

The NCSC warns that monitors are an attractive target for cyber attackers as they can process and store sensitive data, and are highly likely to be exploited to gain access to networks for espionage, disruption, or financial gain, while existing mitigations are often costly and inefficient.

“Display screens and monitors are everywhere in modern business environments, and the SilentGlass device will help protect previously vulnerable IT infrastructure with unprecedented ease,” said Ollie Whitehouse, CTO at NCSC.

“Its development and commercialisation shows the impact that the NCSC can have, alongside industry partners, with an affordable and effective product now globally available,” added Whitehouse.

The NCSC states that the technology has already been deployed within government systems. It has been approved for use in high-threat environments and is available for commercial purchase.

The device is being manufactured and distributed under licence by Goldilock, in partnership with Sony UK Technology Centre.

“SilentGlass addresses a gap that has been widely overlooked. The hardware interfaces people rely on every day have rarely been treated as security boundaries, despite being exposed to risk through supply chains, third-party servicing, and direct physical access,” noted Stephen Kines, Co-Founder at Goldilock Labs.

“What was once confined to national security environments is now being applied with a low-cost, easy to deploy solution for CNI and businesses where the same risks exist,” concluded Kines.