Smartphone gyroscopes threaten air-gapped systems, researcher finds


An Israeli security researcher known for foiling air gap security measures has published a reminder of just how vulnerable the approaches are to both visual and ultrasonic threats.

A pair of preprint papers from Mordechai Guri, head of R&D at Ben-Gurion University’s Cyber Security Research Labs, detail new methods for transmitting data ultrasonically to smartphone gyroscopes and sending Morse code signals via LEDs on network interface cards (NICs).

Dubbed Gairoscope and EtherLED respectively, the two exploits are the latest in a long line of research from Guri, who has previously developed air gap exfiltration methods, including stealing data by reading the radio frequency of networking cables, using RAM buses to transmit data electromagnetically, and doing the same with power supplies.

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Source: The Register