Are you safe? Optical data interception via LED on the hard drive

You know the LED light of your hard drive . Σίγουρα το έχετε δει… Νομίζετε ότι οι υπολογιστές που δεν είναι συνδεδεμένοι σε κάποιο είναι ασφαλείς; Ο απέδειξε για πρώτη φορά ότι μπορούν να παραβιαστούν από τον “αέρα.” Όμως εκτός από αυτό, σας φαίνεται εντελώς ακίνδυνο το τοποθετήσετε μια μονάδα USB ένα υπολογιστή που δεν είναι συνδεδεμένος στο διαδίκτυο;

Researchers from Israel's Ben Gurion University demonstrated that if an attacker managed to infect a computer, they could steal data remotely by using a camera that can read the LED light of the hard disk drive (HDD).ice

The computer LEDs blink when the unit is in the read / write stage, but data transmission can also be performed visually.

As reported by Wired, the that the researchers devised can cause an HDD LED to blink 6.000 times per second. If these lights are visible from a window, a drone or telescoping camera lens can capture them. them from some distance.

The researchers explain in a publication that data can leak from HDD LEDs at a rate of 4kbps. Yes the speed is incredible by today's standards but it is enough to steal all the encryption keys.

The "good" thing about this attack is that the LED lights on the HDD are blinking anyway, so no one can tell if the infected system is transmitting data.

Please note that with other malware, researchers have been able to intercept data from unplugged computers from computer speakers, FM waves, and heat.

The encoding system used to transfer data from HDD LEDs is called on-off typing, which is one of the methods of communication through visible light.

Researchers have been using a Nikon DSLR, a high-end security camera, a GoPro Hero5, a Microsoft LifeCam, a Samsung Galaxy S6, Google Glass, and a Siemens Photodiode sensor to capture data.

The Siemens sensor was the fastest in data transfer (4kbps), while Galaxy S6 and GoPro Hero5 had bandwidth of 60 bits per second and 120 bits per second, respectively.

Fortunately, there are cheap methods to deal with this attack. Covering the LED or disconnecting it, or removing the computer from windows.

Watch the video

Paper (PDF)

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Written by giorgos

George still wonders what he's doing here ...

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