New ‘SmartAttack’ Steals Air-Gapped Data Using Smartwatches

New ‘SmartAttack’ Steals Air-Gapped Data Using Smartwatches

A researcher has developed a method called SmartAttack that uses smartwatches and ultrasonic signals to exfiltrate data from air-gapped systems. This technique demonstrates how covert communication channels can bypass physical security measures in high-security environments. #SmartAttack #UltrasonicDataExfiltration

Keypoints

  • The technique uses smartwatches’ microphones to capture ultrasonic signals beyond human hearing range.
  • An attacker must already infiltrate the air-gapped system with malware that transmits covert ultrasonic signals.
  • The malware can exfiltrate sensitive data such as keystrokes, encryption keys, and biometric information.
  • The smartwatch scans for ultrasonic signals and forwards reconstructed data via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cellular networks.
  • Mitigations include banning audio-capable wearables, ultrasonic monitoring, and disabling audio hardware in secure environments.

Read More: https://www.securityweek.com/new-smartattack-steals-air-gapped-data-using-smartwatches/