Re: how to PHYSICALLY disable computers from any networking

[bitbucket () gsu edu]

just a few ideas:

Given the speed and depth of access, it seems to me that it is a local physical access attack.  (this is a fancy way of 
saying that the attack is via a camera in the room, or a keystroke device or something like that).  

a) is she using a firmware firewall like a linksys or similar router?  They are hackable - but harder than the software 
on the OS.

b) try a non-windows machine - the small linux boxes from asus( EEE machines) can be wiped clean by holding a button 
down during booting or she can use a boot cd of knoppix or some similar linux system to know that she is coming from a 
clean distribution. 

c) don't use a home machine AT ALL - go to a library or similar public location.  Have a friend shadow her and take a 
picture from a distance - if its a physical attacker there will be someone in all of the pictures independent of where.

d) don't use a wireless network at home (DOH)

e) make sure that the passwords she uses are really random and not related to things like family names or life events.

f) don't use a password recovery feature at a website like Yahoo (shades of Sarah Palin ;-)).

changing location - ensures that a simple physical snooping isn't happening or forces the possibility of detecting it.  
It is hard to snoop undetected under the watchful eye of the county librarian.

changing OS and using a clean distribution again and again - ensures that there isn't a problem on the machine (except 
for physical keystroke capturing).  It also prevents software that was installed from doing anything because it isn't 
installed on a clean reboot (if the attacker has physical access he could have changed the bios and she could have real 
problems - but if the attacker has that access then she should be very scared - because it is someone she knows and 
trusts).

password issues - help avoid "human engineering" attacks.  If she used her cat's name as a password and the attacker 
has figured that out then it isn't hard to try a bunch of variations to see if they work.

if she's using wifi - then the attacker can be running wireshark with a high gain antenna and enter her network very 
easily.  If the apartment network has an accessible router or cable in it then the attacker could have tapped it there. 
 So  using a random change in location will eliminate the problem.