NCSC launches SilentGlass device

A monitor cable can carry more than video, and Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre now wants that connection treated like a network boundary. On April 22, it launched SilentGlass for global sale. (ncsc.gov.uk) (infosecurity-magazine.com) SilentGlass is a small plug-in device that sits between a laptop or desktop and a monitor. The National Cyber Security Centre said it blocks anything “unexpected or malicious” moving across HDMI and DisplayPort links. (ncsc.gov.uk) The agency, which is part of GCHQ, said the product has already been used on UK government estates and is approved for “the most high-threat environments.” It is now available for anyone to buy. (ncsc.gov.uk) (infosecurity-magazine.com) The idea is simple: a display cable is supposed to carry only the signals needed to show an image. The National Cyber Security Centre says attackers can abuse that same physical link to reach devices, steal data or disrupt systems. (ncsc.gov.uk 1) (ncsc.gov.uk 2) That risk sits inside a broader problem with peripherals — the accessories and ports attached to computers. In its guidance, the National Cyber Security Centre warns that external interfaces can open routes for malicious code, data theft and other attacks if they are not tightly managed. (ncsc.gov.uk) SilentGlass started inside the agency’s research pipeline under the name “Wired Glass.” In the National Cyber Security Centre’s 2025 annual review, it described Wired Glass as a low-cost device that works like a firewall for digital video connections, blocking unexpected data in either direction. (ncsc.gov.uk) For the commercial launch, the National Cyber Security Centre said it licensed the intellectual property to Goldilock Labs after a competitive process. Goldilock is manufacturing the product with Sony UK Technology Centre and selling it globally under the SilentGlass name. (ncsc.gov.uk) (infosecurity-magazine.com) Ollie Whitehouse, the agency’s chief technology officer, said display screens are “everywhere in modern business environments” and that the device protects previously vulnerable infrastructure. Goldilock co-founder Stephen Kines said hardware interfaces have rarely been treated as security boundaries despite supply-chain and physical-access risks. (ncsc.gov.uk) (infosecurity-magazine.com) The launch turns a government-built defensive tool into a product for companies and other governments that worry about espionage, sabotage or data loss through ordinary display ports. The cable to a screen is still just a cable — but the National Cyber Security Centre is selling hardware on the premise that it can no longer be trusted on sight. (ncsc.gov.uk)