Yan Jiang (Zhejiang University), Xiaoyu Ji (Zhejiang University), Yancheng Jiang (Zhejiang University), Kai Wang (Zhejiang University), Chenren Xu (Peking University), Wenyuan Xu (Zhejiang University)

Sensors are key components to enable various applications, e.g., home intrusion detection, and environment monitoring. While various software defenses and physical protections are used to prevent sensor manipulation, this paper introduces a new threat vector, PowerRadio, which can bypass existing protections and change the sensor readings at a distance. PowerRadio leverages interconnected ground (GND) wires, a standard practice for electrical safety at home, to inject malicious signals. The injected signal is coupled by the sensor's analog measurement wire and eventually, it survives the noise filters, inducing incorrect measurement. We present three methods that can manipulate sensors by inducing static bias, periodical signals, or pulses. For instance, we show adding stripes into the captured images of a surveillance camera or injecting inaudible voice commands into conference microphones. We study the underlying principles of PowerRadio and find its root causes: (1) the lack of shielding between ground and data signal wires and (2) the asymmetry of circuit impedance that enables interference to bypass filtering. We validate PowerRadio against a surveillance system, broadcast system, and various sensors. We believe that PowerRadio represents an emerging threat that exhibits the pros of both radiated and conducted EMI, e.g., expanding the effective attack distance of radiated EMI yet eliminating the requirement of line-of-sight or approaching physically. Our insights shall provide guidance for enhancing the sensors' security and power wiring during the design phases.

View More Papers

Statically Discover Cross-Entry Use-After-Free Vulnerabilities in the Linux Kernel

Hang Zhang (Indiana University Bloomington), Jangha Kim (The Affiliated Institute of ETRI, ROK), Chuhong Yuan (Georgia Institute of Technology), Zhiyun Qian (University of California, Riverside), Taesoo Kim (Georgia Institute of Technology)

Read More

RACONTEUR: A Knowledgeable, Insightful, and Portable LLM-Powered Shell Command...

Jiangyi Deng (Zhejiang University), Xinfeng Li (Zhejiang University), Yanjiao Chen (Zhejiang University), Yijie Bai (Zhejiang University), Haiqin Weng (Ant Group), Yan Liu (Ant Group), Tao Wei (Ant Group), Wenyuan Xu (Zhejiang University)

Read More

Logical Maneuvers: Detecting and Mitigating Adversarial Hardware Faults in...

Fatemeh Khojasteh Dana, Saleh Khalaj Monfared, Shahin Tajik (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

Read More

SafeSplit: A Novel Defense Against Client-Side Backdoor Attacks in...

Phillip Rieger (Technical University of Darmstadt), Alessandro Pegoraro (Technical University of Darmstadt), Kavita Kumari (Technical University of Darmstadt), Tigist Abera (Technical University of Darmstadt), Jonathan Knauer (Technical University of Darmstadt), Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi (Technical University of Darmstadt)

Read More