Attackers Can Now Steal Data Using Screen Brightness

Over time, hackers have found numerous ways to exfiltrate data from computers without requiring a network connexion. Just this might be one of the cleverest means of stealing information from a computer.

Researchers from the Ben Gurion Academy of Israel devised a new way to obtain sensitive information from an "air-gapped" computer just by modulating the effulgence of the screen, which basically ways hackers can use your PC's screen brightness to hack you. Sounds unreal, right?

What is An Air-Gapped Computer?

Now, an "air-gapped" figurer is a computing machine that is isolated from any unsecured networks. That is, you cannot connect it to the internet or whatever other machines that connect to the internet. A true air-gapped computer is also physically isolated. This means that you take to employ physical devices like USB drives or removable media drives to transfer data.

In his latest research, Mordechai Guri, the head of cybersecurity at the Ben Gurion University, along with other researchers made a secret optical channel that can exist used by an attacker to steal computer data from an air-gapped calculator without using whatsoever network connectivity or physically contacting the machine.

"This covert channel is invisible, and information technology works even while the user is working on the computer. Malware on a compromised computer can obtain sensitive data (east.grand., files, images, encryption keys, and passwords), and modulate it within the screen brightness, invisible to users," the researchers said.

How the Method Works

To execute the method, the attacker controls the LCD screen effulgence, which remains invisible to the naked centre, to covertly attune binary information in a morse-code like patterns. In LCD screens, to produce a single color, each pixel has a combination of RGB colours. Now, in this proposed modulation, the RGB combination of each pixel is slightly inverse. This remains invisible to the naked eye as information technology happens very fast and for a very curt time.

Now the aggressor tin can collect this data stream past video recording the victim computer's display. The intruder can use whatever surveillance photographic camera, security photographic camera, smartphone camera or a webcam for the purpose. And then the attacker can reconstruct the information by using any image processing technique. This video shows a demonstration of the hack washed by the researchers.

Do You lot Need To Worry?

At present, you lot do non accept to worry nigh anyone stealing your login ID or countersign through the window anytime. Every bit the method proposes, the attacker would demand to physically breach the to-be compromised machine and have a photographic camera that they control installed within the line of sight. This tin be useful for intelligence agencies to perform whatever high priority intrusions. But no attacker would only sit outside your window to take the login credentials of your Facebook account. So y'all can chill out and let government agencies worry about this method of stealing data.

Source: https://beebom.com/attackers-steal-data-using-screen-brightness/

Posted by: reavestharrife.blogspot.com

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