Keyboard Lights As An Airgap Attack Vector
Researchers have demonstrated a method to transmit data to airgapped computers using modified keyboards. By aligning LED indicators with photoresistors on a second keyboard, a unidirectional channel can be created that encodes keystrokes via light. The technique can deliver small programs to the isolated system and may be used for further exploitation.
- ▪Nikolay Valentinovich Repnitskiy created a unidirectional network using two Dell SK-8115 keyboards.
- ▪One keyboard was altered with photoresistors that register a keypress when illuminated by the other keyboard's LEDs.
- ▪The Num Lock and Caps Lock LEDs were positioned to flash data that the photoresistors interpret as keystrokes.
- ▪The method enables transfer of small executable programs to an airgapped machine for potential further compromise.
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| Original publisher | Hackaday |
| Canonical URL | https://hackaday.com/2026/07/29/keyboard-lights-as-an-airgap-attack-vector/ |
| Publication time | Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:00:20 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-30T02:08:20.952Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Keyboard Lights As An Airgap Attack Vector No comments by: Zoe Skyforest July 29, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy What do you do when you need to get data into an airgapped machine? Well, you might find yourself limited to basic input devices to interact with the computer in question. As [Nikolay Valentinovich Repnitskiy] demonstrates, though, you can do some fun stuff amidst such limitations. [Nikolay] created what he calls a “unidirectional network” connection via a keyboard. Specifically, he took two Dell SK-8115 keyboards, and stripped them down to their controller PCBs. On one, he soldered photoresistors to a couple of the keyboard matrix pins, such that they’d fire a keypress when lit up.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Hackaday.
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