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Leading experts discover new security risk
Half of all computers vulnerable to 'Rowhammer' attacks
Manufacturers scramble to redesign their computers
A new hacking technique has been discovered, with 15 of 29 computers tested found to be vulnerable.
Electromagnetism leaks from transistors which store the millions of 1s and 0s that make our computers work.
By targeting a specific transistor with excessive load, researchers found hackers could cause the memory in neighbouring chips to be corrupted, with 1s becoming 0s and vice versa. In theory, if you target the chip next to the one which is tasked with keeping the computer secure, you are able to trigger a mini cyber-bomb close enough to disrupt its work.
This all took the combined efforts of Google, Intel and Carnegie Mellon University researchers, so don't panic too much that "rowhammering" as it is known, is about to be taken up by schoolkid hackers operating from the bedrooms, but hardware manufacturers have been alerted and will doubtless be rethinking their designs.
Of course, to be at risk from such an attack you need to have allowed a virus or worm to infect your computer. Good anti-virus software does help, but cannot always spot the latest form of attack.
If you use a unique Me and My ID email address each time you sign up somewhere new, you will get one more clue to a hack attack - emails you receive which are not from the source you originally gave that one address to will be immediately obvious. So if an email appearing to come from Tesco is sent to the account you created for Tesco, you will smell a rat. It might be just enough to make you think twice before clicking on the "attached special offer" which in fact is a virus.
Iain C
Chief Privacy Officer
Photo credit: mercadoviagens.com