An unkillable computer virus - allegedly....

Wolftone

Came across this news snippet about a virus that can supposedly jump to an unconnected and isolated computer.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/mysterious--unkillable--computer-virus-could-be-new-kind-of-cyberweapon---or-is-it--105706472.html#acIOHdE

Bollocks or should we be afraid....very afraid.

bertie

Im sure there'd be other "wireless" mediums to worry about before ordinary sound,  but not from computer to computer

PolarityMan

it's bullshit

frankus

If I found a way of getting pcs to talk to each other without a protocol or dedicated transmitter and reciever ... I'd be more interested in selling it and buying a string of yachts, stately homes and sports cars than making a grubby virus for Russian geeks.

digitalscream

I'm calling bullshit. To do this, you'd have to have speakers which are capable of transmitting sound beyond the range of human hearing - standard laptop speakers tail off at around 15kHz. You'd also have to have a mic which can receive that - again, the rolloff for laptop mics is well within the range of the average human being.

I'd suspect a dodgy BIOS, or perhaps infected drivers. Or, more plausibly, a part of the audio drivers which tries to do network-y stuff (maybe a loopback/keep-alive signal?), which then becomes inactive when audio hardware is disabled.

The true way to test it - which is pretty bloody obvious - is to acoustically isolate the machine and see if it still receives the signals. If it does, then it's got to be something localised to the computer itself.

EDIT: I'd also call this guy totally incompetent - he's been battling it for 3 years, and only "recently" discovered that it can propagate via USB storage devices.

wibble

Myranda

I call bullshit...

A virus spread through sound? Ok I'll suspend my disbelief for for a moment...

Why are A researcher and his team trying to kill it? surely this will have spread before it was noticed? The owner of machine zero would surely pop to a few cyber cafes infecting dozens of machines at a shot...

Seems more likely that a Russian research wants a grant so made up some BS... 

ToneControl

April fool

ICBM

Even if it could possibly be done given the very low data rate you could get at audio frequencies, defending a computer against it is simple - just disconnect the mic. Physically if necessary - but if it's turned off in software, any command to turn it on can't get in either.

In any case, how could instructions picked up by the mic - even if recorded - be executable, unless the computer is set up for it?

bertie

BUT.......... you're all assuming this is OS based  it might not actually be ............ just something that can spread from device to device............

PolarityMan

It's still bullshit

Danny1969

Sound picked up from the mic goes to the AD stage of the soundcard, which is hardcoded in it's clock and bit depth . None of this is connected to the BIOS even let alone the OS. To spread a virus via sound using conventional AD \ DA  would be impossible. 

But audio over ethernet, with no AD \ DA ......... that's possible if the driver was attacked

octatonic

Total and utter bullshit.

This is the tech equivalent of the Loch Ness monster, the Yeti or a sexually attractive Geordie.

Phil_aka_Pip

I thought Windows was the unkillable virus

PolarityMan

This was actually the premise of an awful film once

PolarityMan

Ahh yes this is the one: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292506/

chillidoggy

The Company will want it for their Weapons Division.

CabbageCat

The only thing I can think of that can move between unconnected computers and perform unwanted deep system configuration changes that render machines irreparably inoperative is called "The IT Support Department".

Phil_aka_Pip

@CabbageCat Sorry I couldn't give you a Wisdom as well as a LOL for that.

snakemanStoo

There you go peoples

Maxi

Im deeply sceptical but I dont think its impossible . It would depend on the manufacturing process of certain components on the mother board and a thick layer of conspiracy as to how and why they are there at all . A good portion of components are made by the cheapest supplier are they not ? and where do those originate from ? Its probably nothing to do with audible sound at all , more likely that the pc's in question are infected the moment they are assembled .