The French create a "hardware antivirus" based on the Raspberry Pi

For the most part, antivirus programs do their job well. However, they are not always able to cope with malware. Experts from France wanted to solve this problem in an unusual way.



Researchers at the French Institute of Computer Science and Random Systems (IRISA) have developed a unique electronic device capable of detecting viruses in a different way from classic antivirus software. The created device must be placed near a potentially infected gadget, and by tracking electromagnetic pulses, the device will determine the presence of viruses. When malware is detected, the EMI detector and oscilloscope will detect signatures that are invisible to antivirus software.

Tests have shown that the accuracy of virus detection by the device reaches 99.82%. In tests, the device identified three types of malware and one “harmless” one, which in itself does not disrupt the operation of systems, but can simply “annoy” with its presence.



The work of the researchers is at an early stage, in the near future the development is unlikely to be implemented in a commercial form. Nevertheless, scientists say that this technique may well help the creators of antivirus software in understanding the structure of new threats.