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Future malware to be triggered by music?


Look out: Future malware may no longer need an email or a malicious link to activate and wreak havoc on your device, security researchers warn.

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) said the malware may be triggered by specific music, lighting, vibrations or magnetic fields, UK's The Register reported.

In their research, they said "non-Internet channels" can be used to trigger malware hidden in smartphones and other mobile devices from up to 55 feet away.

“We devote a lot of our efforts towards securing traditional communication channels. But when bad guys use such hidden and unexpected methods to communicate, it is difficult if not impossible to detect that,” it quoted UAB professor Ragib Hasan as saying.

“When you go to an arena or Starbucks, you don’t expect the music to have a hidden message, so this is a big paradigm shift because the public sees only emails and the internet as vulnerable to malware attacks,” he added.

The researchers presented their findings in a paper titled "Sensing-Enabled Channels for Hard-to-Detect Command and Control of Mobile Devices" in Hangzhou, China.

UAB doctoral student Shams Zawoad noted this kind of attack is "sophisticated and difficult to build," but may will become "increasingly easier" as technology improves.

“We need to create defenses before these attacks become widespread, so it is better that we find out these techniques first and stay one step ahead,” Zawoad said.

In the report, they said “command and control trigger messages” could be sent over 55 feet indoors and 45 feet outdoors.

Attackers could even use “low-end PC speakers with minimal amplification and low-volume,” transmitting hidden messages in TV or radio programs or background music, they said.

On the other hand, a "light channel" may be used at night or in relatively dark places. It can use devices such as large-screen TVs, the researchers said. — LBG, GMA News

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