KVM Switches: A Security Threat Some Might Leave Open

CRN Tests the Belkin KVM Switch With Approval

Author: Eddie Correia, CRN

Everything about the Belkin Secure DVI-I KVM Switch is air-tight, right down to the tamper-evident outer packaging and cabinet labels. Fully redundant circuitry prevents signaling attacks and data leakage across channels. Printed on the unit itself is a warning that it will self-destruct if opened. The real question then becomes whether the “secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.”

The model CRN tested, the F1DN104F, is the most hardened, and at $1,129 list the most expensive of the line. The four-port, dual-monitor unit provides USB and PS/2 port for the console keyboard and mouse, plus an extra port a common access card (CAC) reader for each connected system.

The CAC is the secure ID method of choice for government, defense and intelligence agencies, which are among the target users of this particular model, according to Carlos Del Toro, senior product manager of Belkin’s KVM group. “Many organizations need to keep systems that access the Internet away from others used for sensitive [corporate or personal] data,” he said. Belkin’s KVM allows one CAC reader to service all connected systems. “Having separate CAC readers for each system can quickly become confusing and is subject to error,” he said.

To learn more about the Belkin Secure KVM Switch see the video at http://bit.ly/Qc8Pzw or the article at http://bit.ly/Qc911Q.

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