"Ruiu said he arrived at the theory about badBIOS's high-frequency networking capability after observing encrypted data packets being sent to and from an infected laptop that had no obvious network connection with—but was in close proximity to—another badBIOS-infected computer. The packets were transmitted even when the laptop had its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth cards removed. Ruiu also disconnected the machine's power cord so it ran only on battery to rule out the possibility it was receiving signals over the electrical connection. Even then, forensic tools showed the packets continued to flow over the airgapped machine. Then, when Ruiu removed the internal speaker and microphone connected to the airgapped machine, the packets suddenly stopped"
http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/10/meet-badbios-the-mysterious-mac-and-pc-malware-that-jumps-airgaps/
It's like the pneumonic plague of computer viruses! That's crazy.
This caught my eye because someone I know who works in ultra-secure computer environments was telling me that one of his networks was compromised by malware coming in on damn printer firmware update.
also this
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-24707337
I've been following BadBios and personally believe it to be 99% BS
I agree with most of what is written here.
http://www.rootwyrm.com/2013/11/the-badbios-analysis-is-wrong/
>99
That was my first thought on the printer firmware episode, too. But then I thought of Clarke's Laws.
<added>
And the fact that the guy I know works in some places that pat him down for any electronic devices before he is allowed to enter the work area. I figured he or his group were targeted.
I had to Google Clarke's laws.
Very much worth posting here - thanks Bob
Clarke's Three Laws are three "laws" of prediction formulated by the British writer Arthur C. Clarke. They are:
When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
PS Isn't the 1st one, in fact, 2 laws?
It's the "indistinguishable from magic" part that I always remember but it's the first (double one, yes) that is really the more diabolically psychological one that really comes into play when sorting through BS such as cutting edge medical. Part A: His experience & intuition tells him that it's going to come together one day. Part B: He's resting on his laurels and protecting his status and by doing so he has stepped out of the loop.
Here's another one (unknown source) that I use now in my large daily reading roster, seems to work:
If a headline ends in a question mark, the answer is "No."
Wow.