"Hackers Can Steal Data Via Cooling Fan Vibrations"

Air-gapping refers to the physical isolation of a computer or network to ensure that it does not connect to the internet or other internet-connected system. The purpose of this security mechanism is to protect the computer or network from unsecured networks. A genuinely air-gapped computer only accepts data from a USB flash drive or other removable media. However, there have been many studies that reveal the potential ways in which attackers can communicate with air-gapped computers. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) have demonstrated a process, dubbed AiR-ViBeR, that could be used by hackers to exfiltrate data from a highly secured air-gapped computer. The novel method involves the use of malware to control a computer's vibrations by manipulating its internal fan speeds. Data encoded into fan vibrations could be transmitted to a nearby smartphone to be demodulated and decoded. In addition to demonstrating the AiR-ViBeR attack, researchers also suggest measures to protect a computer against such an attack, including setting fan speeds for both CPU and GPU at a single and fixed rate. This article continues to discuss the demonstration of the AiR-ViBeR side-channel attack and suggested measures against this type of attack. 

AtomsTalk reports "Hackers Can Steal Data Via Cooling Fan Vibrations"