Ghost in the machine
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The security risks of working wirelessly are well known - hackers can infiltrate wireless networks and devices can be misplaced or stolen. But few would have perceived there could be a problem using a PC with wireless keyboard.
The security risks of working wirelessly are well known - hackers can infiltrate wireless networks and devices can be misplaced or stolen. But few would have perceived there could be a problem using a PC with wireless keyboard.
This was not the case for an Oslo man called Are Wormnes, who, according to Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, discovered that the text he was typing into his PC using Hewlett-Packard's new wireless keyboard was appearing on his next-door neighbour's computer screen. When Wormnes telephoned to complain - it might have proved difficult to email a note - he was put through to an HP press spokesman, who told him to speak to anyone who lived within a 100-metre radius of his house and switch his keyboard to a channel they weren't using. Above all, said the spokesman, he should "not write any sensitive information".
Wormnes was enraged. Eventually, the HP spin doctor accepted its response was inadequate and apologised. But he had one last piece of valuable advice for the beleaguered PC user: "If you want to be completely sure that no-one can see what you are writing then you should use a keyboard with a cord." Perhaps that should be the tagline for the product's next marketing campaign.
