Malware steals data through power lines

malware cable2.png

Do you think you are safe by having important data in a computer without internet connection?

Think again.

Scientists created a malware that can steal data from desktops that aren't connect to the internet. The malware controls CPU usage cycles, making it consume more or less energy in certain intervals of time. Therefore, data can be encoded into cycles of less and higher energy consumption, therefore enabled to being sent over the power lines. The malware was dubbed PowerHammer.

However, this research was done in a highly controlled environment and the power lines used by the usual home or office in the city should provide enough entropy to render this attack not viable in most settings. Secret bases, might want to rethink their power supply, tough.

At least, this is what I did understand from the original paper.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1804.04014.pdf

Fellow readers may also find this report rather useful:
https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.04014

What are your thoughts in this?

Thank all you for reading.