Keyboards immune to signal monitoring?

I wouldn't be surprised if there is hardware out there that can solve the problems you listed, but I would hazard a guess that they are very domain/environment-specific.

Then again, when you think about each problem seperately...

  • RF interception: The solution is proper shielding (and grounding of the shield)
  • Keylogger: Encryption isn't going to solve this problem. A keyboard that can't be unplugged indetectably, nor taken apart could work.
  • Camera watching over head: SCIF room, or varient thereof. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitive_Compartmented_Information_Facility

Actually, that last one solves all (most?) of the problems.

Seperating each problem into seperate solutions in this case (IMO) is sort of like remedying the symptoms of a disease, instead of the disease itself.

EDIT: While the question was intended to be very specifc in nature with regard to devices on the market, I don't really know if an answer can be given without adding proper context.


TEMPEST is the program designed to protect against EM compromise. This type of hardware is expensive, but is available for both commercial and governmental usage.

Look here for one example: http://www.advprograms.com/accessories.htm

There are other manufacturers of this equipment conforming to higher (and of course lower) levels of the TEMPEST specification. If you're not familiar with the program, wikipedia has a decent enough primer (and links to good NATO/DOD resources) of what has been declassified.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TEMPEST


I'm a bit surprised none of the other posts provide a definitive answer to such an objective question. Keyboards certified for USA NSTISSAM / NATO SDIP-27 (EMSEC standards that specify, among other things, appropriate electromagnetic radiation shielding against RFI/EMI) absolutely exist. Take for example this TEMPEST keyboard from Emcon, which is certified for TEMPEST level 1:

Emcon’s TEMPEST Level I TBITS-5 USB Keyboard is built around the Solidus TBITS-5 Black 105 key keyboard.

Conforming to TBITS CAN/CSA Z243.200.92 and approved by L’OFFICE QUÉBÉCOIS DE LA LANGUE FRANÇAISE (OQLF) this keyboard is also approved by the Treasury Board Information Technology Standard (TBITS), and complies with the governments laws and policies in Canada.

There are also certified computers, printers, smart card readers, power supplies, and even monitors. This answers your question as to whether or not they exist. Whether or not you can buy them easily is another matter. You may need a .gov email address to even contact some of these suppliers (especially those that provide bespoke hardware and not just COTS solutions like the above). The prices are typically very high compared to non-certified devices.