Mmastodon TechnologyCybersecurity first seen 8 h ago, last 8 h ago, peak #7
The Thing: the passive wooden plaque that spied on the US
Original: Random musings de jour… The Thing is an absolutely ingenious completely passive and unpowered wooden plaque that is a fu
The Thing, a Soviet listening device hidden in a carved wooden plaque gifted to the US ambassador in Moscow in 1945, is being recalled as a masterpiece of espionage. It contained no battery or electronics — just a resonant cavity and antenna, activated by external radio waves, making it a fully passive microphone that eavesdropped on the American embassy for years.
Why now: Cybersecurity and espionage enthusiasts are sharing the Cold War device as a striking example of passive surveillance technology.
The ThingSoviet UnionUnited States
Evidence
- Random musings de jour… The Thing is an absolutely ingenious completely passive and unpowered wooden plaque that is a fully functional microphone and radio transmitter. Or in simpler terms, a bug. https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin g_(listening_device) A later bug was… · HoffmanLabs@infosec.exchange · 6
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