Israeli scientists at the Ben-Gurion University have worked out how to hack air-gapped computers using their cooling system vibrations

Scientists have been looking for non-standard approaches to digital hacking systems for ages.   However, recently an exciting development has come to light that is a curious and innovating way of covertly extracting data from a personal computer.

Researchers have long known about the interrelation between computational processes performed by a computer and the physical effects which accompany these processes.  Now, the vibration of processor, video card and other components of the system block attracted special attention of hackers. Having introduced a particular virus into the computer, they were able to control the speed of the cooler, which has distinct vibrations.

They recorded the noise of the system unit on a Samsung Galaxy S10 with a reasonably sensitive accelerometer.   They found that even at a distance of 1.5 meters from a personal computer, you can get accurate data from it, and university staff were able to obtain data within the PC being connected to the network.  This information will is now being used to improve data protection systems.