Fuxnet malware: Growing threat to industrial sensors

In this Help Net Security video, Sonu Shankar, Chief Strategy Officer at Phosphorus, discusses how Blackjack’s Fuxnet malware should be a wakeup call to industrial operators about the vulnerability of sensor networks and the outsized impact these attac… Continue reading Fuxnet malware: Growing threat to industrial sensors

Hypersensitive touch sensor ‘feels’ things from 4 inches away

Using a 3D-printed material sensitive to electric fields, researchers have created a novel sensor that can accurately recognize and distinguish objects up to 10 centimeters – about four inches – away without needing to touch them physically. The touchl… Continue reading Hypersensitive touch sensor ‘feels’ things from 4 inches away

Side Channels Are Common

Really interesting research: “Lend Me Your Ear: Passive Remote Physical Side Channels on PCs.”

Abstract:

We show that built-in sensors in commodity PCs, such as microphones, inadvertently capture electromagnetic side-channel leakage from ongoing computation. Moreover, this information is often conveyed by supposedly-benign channels such as audio recordings and common Voice-over-IP applications, even after lossy compression.

Thus, we show, it is possible to conduct physical side-channel attacks on computation by remote and purely passive analysis of commonly-shared channels. These attacks require neither physical proximity (which could be mitigated by distance and shielding), nor the ability to run code on the target or configure its hardware. Consequently, we argue, physical side channels on PCs can no longer be excluded from remote-attack threat models…

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New contact lenses monitor changes in eye pressure to diagnose glaucoma

Researchers have developed contact lenses with embedded sensors that measure the pressure inside the eye and send the information to an ophthalmologist for evaluation. It’s hoped that the lens will lead to the early diagnosis of glaucoma, which can lea… Continue reading New contact lenses monitor changes in eye pressure to diagnose glaucoma

Smart sensor uses color to monitor deformation and temperature

Soft robotic devices often need to sense both mechanical deformation and changes in temperature, requiring multiple integrated sensors. ChromoSense technology, however, combines both functions in one simple, robust, color-changing device.Continue Readi… Continue reading Smart sensor uses color to monitor deformation and temperature

Breaking Laptop Fingerprint Sensors

They’re not that good:

Security researchers Jesse D’Aguanno and Timo Teräs write that, with varying degrees of reverse-engineering and using some external hardware, they were able to fool the Goodix fingerprint sensor in a Dell Inspiron 15, the Synaptic sensor in a Lenovo ThinkPad T14, and the ELAN sensor in one of Microsoft’s own Surface Pro Type Covers. These are just three laptop models from the wide universe of PCs, but one of these three companies usually does make the fingerprint sensor in every laptop we’ve reviewed in the last few years. It’s likely that most Windows PCs with fingerprint readers will be vulnerable to similar exploits…

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Scientists solve the mystery of what happens when we faint

While nearly 40% of the population will faint in their lifetime, until now scientists have not known the exact mechanism at play when we experience that brief, terrifying lack of consciousness. That is, until now.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, Scie… Continue reading Scientists solve the mystery of what happens when we faint

Scientists solve the mystery of what happens when we faint

While nearly 40% of the population will faint in their lifetime, until now scientists have not known the exact mechanism at play when we experience that brief, terrifying lack of consciousness. That is, until now.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, Scie… Continue reading Scientists solve the mystery of what happens when we faint