#Air gapped computer network drivers#
#Air gapped computer network driver#
#Air gapped computer network series#

Guri says it can be used for sensitive information such as credentials, keystrokes, small files, and biometric data. There are many types of rootkits which can be implanted at the kernel level, and it can be done remotely by using zero-day exploits,вЂќ he says.ДЄt 1-100 bits per second, data transmission on the Air-Fi channel is slow and badly suited for exfiltrating large volumes of data. вЂњFor example, the recent TrickBot malware compromise the UEFI which is actually firmware level. But it doesnвЂ™t necessarily require physical access to the device, Guri says. Obtaining low-level access to WiFi hardware is difficult and requires malware that is tailored to the targeted WiFi chip. Read more of the latest cybersecurity research

#Air gapped computer network driver#

To receive the data transmitted on the Air-Fi channel, the receiving malware installation needs access to the WiFi-capable device at the kernel driver or firmware level. вЂњAir-Fi is unique in that it uses a very common WiFi receiver which exists in many typesВ of devices today, from computers to IoT devices,вЂќ Guri says. On the receiving side, the attacker needs to infect a device with a WiFi interface in the vicinity of the air-gapped target.

#Air gapped computer network series#

Therefore, by triggering a series of well-timed memory operations on the infected device, the malware modulates the stolen data into WiFi signals. These emissions fall within the range of WiFi frequency bands and can be received by any device that has a WiFi network interface. вЂњFor example, DDR4-2400 emits electromagnetic radiation at around 2400 MHz.вЂќ вЂњThe memory buses generate electromagnetic radiation at a frequency correlated to its clock frequency and harmonics,вЂќ Guri writes in the paper.

Once the device is infected, the malware uses electromagnetic emissions generated from DDR SDRAM buses to exfiltrate sensitive data.

The attack also works on virtual machines.ДЄ proof-of-concept video shows the Air-Fi attack in action:

#Air gapped computer network drivers#

The target computer does not need to have a WiFi transmitter, nor does the malware require special privileges such as access to kernel drivers or hardware resources. In the case of the Air-Fi attack, the requirements are minimal. While difficult, this is not impossible and has happened on numerous occasions through supply-chain attacks, compromising third-party software, and malicious or unsuspecting insiders. One of the key challenges of attacking air-gapped systems is the initial compromise: that is, infecting the networkвЂ™s computers with malware. Infecting air-gapped computersДЄir-gapping is a security measure employed to ensure that a secure computer network is physically isolated from unsecured networks, such as the public internet or insecure local area network (LAN). This can enable attackers to steal information from air-gapped systems without requiring special hardware or network connectivity.Д¬odenamed вЂAir-FiвЂ™ and published on the arXiv preprint server, the research has been in the works for a year, Guri told The Daily Swig. In his latest research, Mordechai Guri, who has a long history of exposing the security shortcomings of air-gapped systems, shows that memory buses on most computers emit signals that can be picked up by WiFi-capable devices.

WhereвЂ™s a Faraday cage when you need one?ДЄttackers can compromise computers that have no internet connectivity and steal their data through memory operations and WiFi receivers, a security researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, has found.