4 ms·

Disk activity LED used to exfiltrate data from an air-gapped computer

3 points by jloughry 10y ago

jloughry 10y ago
This is interesting because the disk activity LED is covert, not clandestine. There's no need to try to hide the activity; communication is buried in the normal busy activity of the hard disk.
woliveirajr 10y ago
You can exfiltrate data from air-gapped computer by any means that leaks signals. Some are obvious (wi-fi !?!), fun begins when you use means that aren't normally considered. If I remember correctly (and I'll try to find links afterwards), these were already used: 1 - Heat from the CPU/GPU (link: https://www.wired.com/2015/03/stealing-data-computers-using-heat/ https://www.wired.com/2015/03/stealing-data-computers-using-...) 2 - Fan noise/speed (link: https://www.wired.com/2016/06/clever-attack-uses-sound-computers-fan-steal-data/ https://www.wired.com/2016/06/clever-attack-uses-sound-compu...) 3 - audio from the speaker (link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/10490846/New-computer-virus-secretly-leaks-data-through-air.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/1049...) 4 - audio from the HDD activity (link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/15/air_gap_breached_by_disk_drive_noise/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/15/air_gap_breached_by...) 5 - electromagnetic radiation (https://www.wired.com/2015/07/researchers-hack-air-gapped-computer-simple-cell-phone/ https://www.wired.com/2015/07/researchers-hack-air-gapped-co...) And some ways that I didn't see yet, but might be possible: 6 - monitor (by changing part of the screen, the colors, or something like that, creating subtle patterns) 7 - keyboard lights (flickering in high speed, perhaps) 8 - power consumption edit: added electromagnetic radiation
- jloughry 10y ago
  Other intentional sources: 1. vibration from haptic feedback devices 2. modulation of an optical mouse's light 3. infrared LED plugged into headphone jack Unintentional sources of leakage: 4. ultrasonic vibrations from power supply components (capacitors) correlated with CPU instructions
woliveirajr 10y ago
Being a father who suffered watching those Frozen princess many times, I found LED-it-GO very amusing...

3 points by jloughry 10y ago

This is interesting because the disk activity LED is covert, not clandestine. There's no need to try to hide the activity; communication is buried in the normal busy activity of the hard disk.

woliveirajr 10y ago

You can exfiltrate data from air-gapped computer by any means that leaks signals. Some are obvious (wi-fi !?!), fun begins when you use means that aren't normally considered. If I remember correctly (and I'll try to find links afterwards), these were already used: 1 - Heat from the CPU/GPU (link: https://www.wired.com/2015/03/stealing-data-computers-using-heat/ https://www.wired.com/2015/03/stealing-data-computers-using-...) 2 - Fan noise/speed (link: https://www.wired.com/2016/06/clever-attack-uses-sound-computers-fan-steal-data/ https://www.wired.com/2016/06/clever-attack-uses-sound-compu...) 3 - audio from the speaker (link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/10490846/New-computer-virus-secretly-leaks-data-through-air.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/1049...) 4 - audio from the HDD activity (link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/15/air_gap_breached_by_disk_drive_noise/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/15/air_gap_breached_by...) 5 - electromagnetic radiation (https://www.wired.com/2015/07/researchers-hack-air-gapped-computer-simple-cell-phone/ https://www.wired.com/2015/07/researchers-hack-air-gapped-co...) And some ways that I didn't see yet, but might be possible: 6 - monitor (by changing part of the screen, the colors, or something like that, creating subtle patterns) 7 - keyboard lights (flickering in high speed, perhaps) 8 - power consumption edit: added electromagnetic radiation

jloughry 10y ago
Other intentional sources: 1. vibration from haptic feedback devices 2. modulation of an optical mouse's light 3. infrared LED plugged into headphone jack Unintentional sources of leakage: 4. ultrasonic vibrations from power supply components (capacitors) correlated with CPU instructions

woliveirajr 10y ago

Being a father who suffered watching those Frozen princess many times, I found LED-it-GO very amusing...