Malware Transmitting Data From Isolated Computer to Mobile Phone Via Radio Signals

Malware Transmitting Data From Isolated Computer to Mobile Phone Via Radio Signals

Researchers at Ben Gurion University in Israel has made a Malware that can transfer information from isolated computers to nearest mobile phones by using radio signals.

Air Gapping

This method which is known as "Air Gapping" is famous among the security concerned people as it helps them to secure their sensitive information well. The plus of point of using this is that it makes the device isolated from the internet world which makes it difficult to be compromised.

General Idea About the Attack

The method includes two process. One is to plant the malware into the targeted system and another one is to start the transferring of data to other devices.

Planting the malware into some system is an easy task such that it may not require special techniques. Whereas Transferring the data from the compromised system to other devices seems to be a difficult task.

AirHopper and its Working Method

The proof-of-concept malware, now is being called by "AirHopper" transfers the data by using the Graphics card of the infected computer to the nearby mobile present for receiving information.

The researcher said

With appropriate software, compatible radio signals can be produced by a compromised computer, utilizing the electromagnetic radiation associated with the video display adapter. This combination, of a transmitter with a widely used mobile receiver, creates a potential covert channel that is not being monitored by ordinary security instrumentation

The total attack includes for step.

1.   Planting the Malware into the targeted Computer
2.   Installing malicious code on mobile phones acting as data receiver 
3.   Setting up a command and control channel with the mobile device 
4.   Finally starting file transferring data by radio signals originated by the attacker

The malware installed on the mobile phone uses its own FM Receiver which has been manipulated by the malware installed on the isolated computer.

Possibility of the Attack

About the possibility of the attack it can be easily said that this type of attack is highly possible. As in this time, mobiles phones, more precisely smartphones are dominating the whole world and also forcing the business organizations to move forward to mobile technologies more.

 Limits and Speed

Experiment shows that the mobile device is needed to be within the distance of 7 Meters (23feet) to work properly. The data transferring speed is noted as 13-60 Bytes per second which is,according to the researchers, enough to steal passwords from the compromised devices.

Alternative Way

Adi Samir, professor of Applied Mathematics in Weizmann Institute of Science and one of the inventor of RSA Algorithm worked on the project with some of the Ben Gurion University researchers. In the Black Hat conference, held in Amsterdam, he showed that an attacker can transfer data by flashing a light presented on the top side of a multifunctional printer connected to the targeted computer. In their Demonstrations, they proved that light flashing technique can be used here also to transfer data to the receiver.

Details about the Project is published in the Research Paper and proof-of-concept video has been made available by the research team.