Israeli researchers uncovered a novel way that hackers could steal sensitive data from a highly secured computer: by tapping into the vibrations from a cooling system fan.
Lead cyber-security researcher Mordechai Guri at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev said data encoded by hackers into fan vibrations could be transmitted to a smartphone placed in the vicinity of the targeted computer.
“We observe that computers vibrate at a frequency correlated to the rotation speed of their internal fans,” Guri said. Malware can control computer vibrations by manipulating internal fan speeds, he explained. “These inaudible vibrations affect the entire structure on which the computer is placed.”
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