Create a malware detector by waves with a Raspberry Pi, the incredible (successful) bet of security researchers

Researchers at IRISA (Institute for Research in Informatics and Random Systems) have developed a malware detector using a raspberry-pi
.

This jewel of technology was designed on a new system that relies on electromagnetic waves emanating from the victim computer to detect potential threats. This could achieve a much higher success rate than conventional security devices.

A more effective threat detection solution

Most anti-malware software relies on automatic algorithms to detect malicious activity within a computer. These programs need frequent updating to recognize new threats. Some of them, disguised or too recent, can sometimes slip through the cracks of these antiviruses.

A team of IRISA researchers connected the Raspberry Pi single-board nanocomputer to an oscilloscope (Picoscope 6407) in order to detect abnormal electromagnetic fields. This experiment enabled the device to identify changes in pattern and therefore to detect the potential presence of a malicious program, just through the patterns of magnetic waves emanating from the computer.

According to the researchers, the tests of this malware detector revealed that this accuracy would have reached up to 99.82% in detecting an attack in progress. A result clearly superior to conventional anti-malware software.

What do we know about the Raspberry Pi malware detection system?

This malware detector is an external monitoring system, which does not require to be installed on potential targets to work. A major advantage, since this program is immune to a counter-attack of malicious software trying to escape its detection or even to paralyze it.

Moreover, by employing only the analysis of electromagnetic waves, this computer threat detection solution does not intercept software and even less filters incoming and outgoing data from a computer.

For now, this malware detection system is not quite developed. Researchers will constantly have to feed this program with new malware. More testing is also needed to ensure that this device can detect an attack in progress and notify affected users.

Source: Neowin