Sounds from your hard disk drive can be used to steal a PC's data

Researchers have found a way to steal a PC’s data by using the mechanical noise coming from the hard disk drives inside.

It’s not a very practical hack, but the scheme has been designed for “air-gapped” systems, or computers that have been sectioned off from the Internet.

The researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel have been studying how to use sound to extract information from air-gapped computers. In June, they showed that even a PC’s cooling fans can be controlled to secretly transmit data, including passwords and encryption keys.

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