Researchers Steal Data Using Noise From Your PC's Fans

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I'd have to see this in action to believe it. Maybe I'm just dumb but it doesn't seem like a very practical way of hacking a system. This seems like some James Bond BS researchers tell people to stir up investments. Personally, I prefer the ol' stealing data via Morse code using your hard drive LED.

The researchers in Israel came up with another way to target these isolated systems. Their malware can secretly send the data over audio waves generated by the computer’s fans, according to a paper they released on Wednesday. The malware, called Fansmitter, works by controlling the speed at which the fans run. This can create varying acoustic tones that can be used to transmit the data.
 
Yeah i can't see this happening really, well since my fans are attached to a fan controller which has no baring to the motherboard controlling the speeds so :p
 
Sounds like BS, though, if they can take control of your fan, they can easily shut down your computer.
 
It sounds (ahem) eminently feasible. You get the fans to make one noise for a 0 and another for a 1. Just like a speaker. Detect those noises and you're golden.
 
The intent of this would be to compromise data on an air gaped system where cell phone usage likely wasn't restricted. Similar to how ad companies use audio to target ads, a compromised phone could listen for a modulated fan frequency in a nuclear facility or something like that. I can't imagine the transfer rate would be all that great using the technique, but file directories could likely be dumped in addition to passwords.
 
technically sounds possible, but even then i think data speed transfer might be miniscule, and at the mercy of way too many factors, from internal setup, heat, external variables, besides would be really easy to detect if you have a bi-polar fan.
 
Ahaha! 15 bits per minute! Plus you also have to hack a nearby mobile phone that is within 8 meters of the compromised system so it can receive the sound data and decode it. Oh, is that all? :rolleyes:

Joe: Hey the new password for the extranet VPN has been changed. It's now "Br3x1T!2016".
Fred: Oh great, thanks. I need to write that down so I can use the VPN while working from home tomorrow.
Joe: I know, that's why I just told you, you idiot! Hey... you hear that? Why is your computer's fan speeding up and slowing down every so often? It sounds messed up. You rendering something or are the bearings bad or ...
Fred: Nope, not doing anything. I don't know. It just started doing that. Probably Windows 7 Updates screwing up again.
Joe: Didn't you apply KB31028010 and KBKB3161608 last week to get updates to work?
Fred: Oh yeah, I did! And it seemed to work. Let me see what's in Task Manager... nope.. it's not Windows Update. Wait.. what is "fansmitter.exe"? It's chewing on some CPU...
Joe: Hmm.. who's phone is that on the desk over there? <points to unknown mobile phone on desk next to Fred's>
Fred: You mean the one that is 5 meters away from us and my computer? The one that could be recording our discussion right now using high quality audio and sending trade secrets (like the password you just verbally communicated to me) to somewhere outside the building, but instead is recording fan speed variation at an abysmal 15 bits per minute? That phone? No clue. It's been there for the past day or so.
Joe: ...

Remember, kids: Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach. Those that can't teach, research.
 
While this particular method doesn't seem very practical, it should serve as a reminder that true security is hard to fully implement.
 
Good luck with any of our PCs, we enthusiasts use very non-standard fan setups. You'd have to tune this to the specific hardware you're trying to steal info from.
 
Quix said:
Good luck with any of our PCs, we enthusiasts use very non-standard fan setups. You'd have to tune this to the specific hardware you're trying to steal info from.
Click to expand...

I wonder how DC vs. PWM fan control impacts this if true. Many people, including me use both kinds of fans in their PCs. Also, I wonder how problematic it would be when you have lots of fans of varying makes and models in the system.
 
since they have already infected the system why not just send it over the network ? this is more of a curious proof of concept than anything useful really.
 
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