![\"Possibility](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/possibility-of-infiltr.jpg\" "\\"Illustration")
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Illustration of the attack model. A programmer working in front of a highly secure or air-gapped computer wears a smartwatch on their wrist. The infected computer transmits sensitive data, such as keylogging information, modulated onto ultrasonic signals, which are covertly received by the smartwatch. Credit: arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550\/arxiv.2506.08866<\/p>\n
A security specialist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has found evidence that it might be possible to infiltrate an air-gap computing system using a smartwatch. Mordechai Guri has published a paper<\/a> outlining his ideas on the arXiv preprint server.<\/p>\n Air-gap computers or computing systems are those that have been physically removed from other networks, such as the internet, as a way to make them remotely hack-proof. The only way such a computer or system could be hacked would be to gain direct physical access<\/a> or to have someone do it for them. In his paper, Guri suggests there may be another way\u2014by using features of smartwatches.<\/p>\n Smartwatches, Guri notes, have all the features needed to listen for ultrasonic signals from an air-gapped computer, starting with a microphone. They also could be used for processing signals or for routing them to a speaker or a Wi-Fi device, which could broadcast them to a more sophisticated device.<\/p>\n He notes that testing of such a hacking approach has already shown that data can be broadcast over ultrasonic frequencies over a distance of approximately 6 meters at data rates of up to 50 bps. Such a scenario would involve a hacker<\/a> gaining access to the computer and installing malware that would broadcast more easily decipherable information. Then, ultrasonic signals<\/a> from the air-gapped computer could be captured by a nearby person wearing a smartwatch<\/a>.<\/p>\n Such an approach might involve dormant malware that would only become active when a hacker is nearby. Uri even envisions a smartwatch being stolen from an employee, loaded with malware and then being clandestinely returned to the employee.<\/p>\n Guri acknowledges that using a smartwatch to hack an air-gap system would prove extremely difficult\u2014a hacker would still have to gain proximity to a target computer or system. And they would have to do so without other people being aware of their presence\u2014though it could possibly be done by a plant or a spy. In any case, it is likely such an attempt would only be made on extremely high-value targets, which would likely have many layers of other types of physical protection.<\/p>\n More information:<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJournal information:<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a> <\/p>\n \n \u00a9 2025 Science X Network\n <\/p>\n \n Citation<\/strong>: \n This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMordechai Guri, SmartAttack: Air-Gap Attack via Smartwatches, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550\/arxiv.2506.08866<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tarXiv<\/a>
\n <\/p>\n
\n Hackers could use smartwatches to eavesdrop on air-gapped computers via ultrasonic signals (2025, June 16)
\n retrieved 17 June 2025
\n from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2025-06-hackers-smartwatches-eavesdrop-air-gapped.html\n <\/p>\n
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