● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 neutral
New Attack Leaks Data from Air-Gapped Computers via RAM-Generated Radio Signals
Key points
- Malware generates radio signals from RAM on air-gapped computers.
- Sensitive data is encoded into these software-generated radio signals.
- Attackers intercept signals with SDR hardware and an antenna.
- Data exfiltration rate reaches 1000 bits per second.
Air-Gap Security Challenged
Air-gapped systems are designed to be physically isolated from external networks to prevent data leakage, commonly used in environments requiring high security for confidential information. This isolation relies on disconnecting computers from all wired and wireless networks.
RAMBO Attack Mechanism
A new attack, dubbed RAMBO, allows adversaries to exfiltrate information from these isolated computers. Malware installed on a compromised air-gapped machine can manipulate memory buses (RAM) to generate specific radio signals. These signals are not standard network transmissions but rather electromagnetic emanations from the hardware itself.
Data Encoding and Interception
The malware encodes sensitive data, such as files, images, keylogging data, biometric information, and encryption keys, into these software-generated radio signals. An attacker can then use off-the-shelf software-defined radio (SDR) hardware and a simple antenna to intercept these raw radio signals from a distance. The intercepted signals are subsequently decoded back into binary information.
Performance and Implications
The research demonstrates that this method can leak data from air-gapped computers at a rate of 1000 bits per second. This presents a significant out-of-band threat to systems previously considered secure due to physical isolation. The paper also proposes potential countermeasures to mitigate this new vulnerability.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
The daily brief
One email each morning: the day's tech stories, clustered across outlets and summarized. No account needed.
One email a day. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Today's brief
Spend a few minutes, get the whole day. Every topic's top stories in one hands-free rundown — listen, watch, or read the transcript.
▶ Play today's brief
New every morning, and the back catalogue is archived by date.
Primary sources
arXiv 2409.02292Reporting from
Researchers demonstrated an attack, named RAMBO, that exfiltrates data from air-gapped computers by generating covert radio signals from memory buses. Malware on a compromised machine can encode sensitive information into these signals, which can then be intercepted and decoded by an attacker using software-defined radio hardware and an antenna. This method achieves data leakage at 1000 bits per second, posing a new threat to isolated systems.