Attackers Can Use Sonic and Ultrasonic Signals to Crash Hard Drives

According to a new research paper published by a team of researchers from the University of Michigan and Zhejiang University, sonic and ultrasonic sounds causes false positives in the shock sensor, causing a drive to unnecessarily park its head.

By exploiting this disk drive vulnerability, researchers demonstrated how attackers could carry out successful real-world attacks against HDDs found in CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) systems and desktop computers.

How One AI-Driven Media Platform Cut EBS Costs for AWS ASGs by 48%

How One AI-Driven Media Platform Cut EBS Costs for AWS ASGs by 48%

These attacks can be performed using a nearby external speaker or through the target system’s own built-in speakers by tricking the user into playing a malicious sound attached to an email or a web page.

In their experimental set-up, the researchers tested acoustic and ultrasonic interferences against various HDDs from Seagate, Toshiba and Western Digital and found that ultrasonic waves took just 5-8 seconds to induce errors.

However, sound interferences that lasted for 105 seconds or more caused the stock Western Digital HDD in the video-surveillance device to stop recording from the beginning of the vibration until the device was restarted.

A close-up view of a hand pressing a key on a laptop keyboard.
Image Source

Read more: The Hacker News

Latest Articles

Weak Defences: The Most Hackable Sports Passwords

We get it. Thinking of another password that you haven’t used before can be frustrating – especially when we have to change or update our passwords so regularly. But while it might be tempting to use your favourite sports teams and clubs as passwords, it’s a risky move for your cyber security.  Using unique passwords […]

7th April, 2025
Solving Network Security Issues for Rapidly Growing Global Businesses

Introduction Ryohin Keikaku is a global manufacturing and retail company that handles everything from product planning to sales for products known as “Mujirushi-Ryohin” in Japan and “MUJI” overseas. To keep pace with its rapid expansion—adding 100 new stores annually in Japan—and its growing global presence, now spanning 225 locations across 20 countries, including 50 stores […]

3rd April, 2025
Closing the Gaps in API Security: How to Build Visibility and Protection for Modern Enterprises

APIs may be your organization’s greatest enabler, but without proper context, they can become its Achilles’ heel. APIs power modern digital ecosystems, connecting applications, enabling seamless machine-to-machine communication, and driving operational efficiencies. However, as APIs become the backbone of enterprises, they also represent an expanding attack surface — one that traditional Web Application and API […]

27th February, 2025

Unlock Your Cloud Potential

Schedule a call with our experts. Discover new technology and get recommendations to improve your performance.

    GlobalDots' industry expertise proactively addressed structural inefficiencies that would have otherwise hindered our success. Their laser focus is why I would recommend them as a partner to other companies

    Marco Kaiser
    Marco Kaiser

    CTO

    Legal Services

    GlobalDots has helped us to scale up our innovative capabilities, and in significantly improving our service provided to our clients

    Antonio Ostuni
    Antonio Ostuni

    CIO

    IT Services

    It's common for 3rd parties to work with a limited number of vendors - GlobalDots and its multi-vendor approach is different. Thanks to GlobalDots vendors umbrella, the hybrid-cloud migration was exceedingly smooth

    Motti Shpirer
    Motti Shpirer

    VP of Infrastructure & Technology

    Advertising Services