Raspberry Pi can Detect Malware

A novel way to detect malware that requires no software be installed on target devices has been built by group of researchers in France.

The researchers created a system based on a Raspberry Pi capable of scanning a device for electromagnetic waves using an oscilloscope and a H-Field probe. Specific waves signal the presence of malware on the device, with the researchers managing to obtain precise knowledge about malware type and identity.

This new technique so impressive is the fact it requires no modification of the target device or any interaction beyond being able to scan for EM waves. No software installation also means any obfuscation techniques employed by malware writers simply don’t work. In fact, obfuscation techniques can also be detected and analyzed.

The Raspberry Pi is trained with both safe and malicious data sets to help define the parameters of a potential threat. In addition, the Pi features an oscilloscope (Picoscope 6407) and an H-Field probe to detect EM field changes

The end result is a system with a malware detection accuracy of 99.82% that could prove invaluable to malware analysts. It’s also going to prove to be a nightmare for malware writers as they attempt to figure out how to hide their malicious code from an EM scanner without being able to detect its presence.