Breach, Data Security, Incident Response, TDR

Cell phone used to infect systems, steal data, without internet connection

A compromised cell phone and a technique called "air-gap network hacking" enabled researchers with Ben Gurion University in Israel to remotely access all sorts of computer data from anywhere in the world – even without an internet connection.

It begins with infecting a mobile phone with malware, which could covertly be done by shooting out a phishing text or email containing a malicious link, according to a Monday Times of Israel report.

The compromised phone then scans for electromagnetic waves emitted from hardware, which are "manipulated" to build a network out of FM frequencies that deliver a virus onto a nearby system, according to the report.

The infected phone then connects to the virus over the FM frequency, siphons data out of the system, and transmits it to the attackers over the cell network, the report adds.

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