Researchers from the University of Ben-Gurion in Israel is known for its expertise and remarkable talent to invent and successfully use exotic ways of hacking digital systems and gadgets. Their favorite niche – extraction of data from a PC that is not physically connected to any of networks. Recently they have introduced another method, which is based on the recording and analysis of vibrations from coolers inside the system unit.
Israeli hackers have long ago brought a number of patterns between executing by the computer the specific tasks and physical effects that accompany this process. In this case the subject of interest are micro-vibrations of the main components of the system unit – the CPU, hard disk, coolers, graphics cards, etc. to make signals more informative, hackers are implemented on a PC a simple Trojan, which controls the speed of rotation of the main cooler when its vibrations are the most apparent.
To read the vibrations perfectly fit in the normal serial Galaxy S10, which has a very sensitive accelerometer – it resolution up 0,0023956299 m/S2. In Android, the iOS, data processing from the accelerometer is in the background and is not visible from the outside. Sufficient to put the smartphone at a distance of 1.5 m from the PC case not in a very noisy environment – and you can read data from it.
The technology is called AiR-ViBeR, it has proven its reliability, but applications in the cyber environment, is not likely to get. First, the read speed is unsatisfactorily low, and secondly, a similar development is underway to identify vulnerabilities and improve the protection, not theft of data. And the secret services, who was interested in technology, is unlikely to want to share it with someone else.
Source — Arxiv