The Computer Virus That is Puzzling the Internet | BadBIOS

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  • čas přidán 23. 01. 2024
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    Since the dawn of time, the world has been filled with threats and those who try to understand them. And this applies to the digital world as well, and there was certainly a time, not too long ago in fact, where most people didn’t understand these threats at all. So, throughout the 1990s, on the NEW worldwide web, you end up having these mass panics of computer viruses with alleged capabilities that go beyond the screen, almost supernatural. And of course, many people rode on these fears either in jest or to obtain some kind of control on those who are gullible. Just like how the satirical tabloid “Weekly World News” once published a story about a computer virus that can spread to humans. Because that’s ridiculous! We all know how a computer virus works, it’s a malicious piece of code that is able to replicate itself and infect other computers on the same network, whether it’s the internet or some kind of local network, where it can then do whatever it is programmed TO do. And that’s the key, you need SOME kind of connection to another computer. It’s not a real virus in the literal sense; it can’t spread through the air, right?
    Well in October of 2010, something very unnerving allegedly happened. A man named Dragos Ruiu, the main developer behind the annual Pwn2Own hacking competition. He had just installed a new copy of Mac OS X on his MacBook Air, and it was then that he started to notice the computer suddenly had a mind of its own. For starters, his CD drive was no longer working, he couldn’t boot from any CD placed into his system. He thought okay, maybe this was just a hardware issue, but then noticed that all of his system configurations kept undoing themselves. His system data then started getting deleted. He was starting to think that this wasn’t a hardware issue, but instead some kind of malware. So he went ahead and completely wiped the hard drive and reinstalled the operating system, but sure enough, the problem still persisted. As it turned out, this issue wasn’t coming from the hard drive, but the BIOS, the motherboard of the computer, meaning that even a full system restore couldn’t fix it. But it doesn’t even stop there. He noticed that this malware was now spreading across other computers on his network, even ones with different operating systems. He quickly disconnected them from his network, but it just kept going. And so, as a last resort, he disabled his Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and even unplugged the power from his wall, relying only on the battery. This is a technique called “air-gapping,” as these computers were now completely independent from one another, in their own separate worlds…yet the virus was still spreading, even to computers who were never connected to the internet in the first place.
    The malware became known as “BadBIOS,” which was capable of infecting Mac, Windows, Linux, and BSD systems, and word quickly started getting around the internet that it may just be the very first instance of a computer virus spreading through the air, quite literally. Through its strange, completely unknown engineering, it was somehow able to bypass these “air gaps.” Surprisingly, it gets even weirder…actual word of the virus seems to have spread faster than the virus itself, and that’s because we...don’t even know if it exists. BadBIOS has become an incredibly controversial, divisive subject within niche parts of the tech community, with some people swearing by it, others scoffing at how ridiculous it is, and then those who believe it to be nothing more than an elaborate hoax. And today, we are going to talk about this strange origin story. This is BadBIOS, the world’s most mysterious computer virus.
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Komentáře • 625

  • @nationsquid
    @nationsquid  Před 4 měsíci +78

    Stop data brokers from exposing your information. Check out my sponsor aura.com/nationsquid
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    • @eglol
      @eglol Před 4 měsíci +2

      Your videos are always so interesting and fun to watch.

    • @batorerdyniev9805
      @batorerdyniev9805 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Hi

    • @VanadiumMC
      @VanadiumMC Před 4 měsíci +3

      I like extra mustard too 🤣🤣

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci +1

      Hi

    • @tubbunny
      @tubbunny Před 4 měsíci +1

      Hi @nationsquid, I have a question. Is there a service that can delete spam mail automatically or filter maybe?

  • @Robdeltonie
    @Robdeltonie Před 4 měsíci +812

    I think I can debunk this once and for all: If the OP said the CD drive stopped working on his MacBook Air, then it's a hoax. It's impossible for a MacBook Air's CD drive to stop working. That's because they never had one. MacBook Airs never had a CD or DVD drive of any kind. It was one of the things mentioned in the keynote where Steve Jobs first announced the computer. So, if that's the first "symptom" of BadBIOS that Dragos Ruiu noticed, then I think it's safe to say the whole thing is made up.

    • @w32u64
      @w32u64 Před 4 měsíci +80

      Nevertheless, there was (and maybe still is) an official Apple USB SuperDrive to accomplish OS X installation, even 2010 MacBook Airs came with OS X 10.6 restore DVDs, but you did still need to buy SuperDrive separately to use those disks

    • @FunkyFurret
      @FunkyFurret Před 4 měsíci

      @@w32u64Yes, so they probably meant that.

    • @deykiidey6495
      @deykiidey6495 Před 4 měsíci +10

      Your right bro good job

    • @rumor2751
      @rumor2751 Před 4 měsíci +12

      I'm just going to believe this and like it so nationsquid sees it

    • @Piipperi800
      @Piipperi800 Před 4 měsíci +11

      ​@@w32u64 it's still a thing, but for one, USB SuperDrive doesn't work with anything other than Mac OS X I think. Also, early MacBook Airs came with a USB flash drive to restore the OS (with DVDs as well)

  • @pmc_
    @pmc_ Před 4 měsíci +785

    Malware like this is a good spooky story, but it's entirely infeasible as far as I can figure out. You'd need a zero-day in basically every single sound card driver ever.

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci +65

      The posts were composed of near Halloween so probably just a joke but apparently NationSquid doesn't get it

    • @Operater_Silverhandman
      @Operater_Silverhandman Před 4 měsíci +14

      Trust me it's real bro I made it no cap n0 click bait 2025

    • @akam9919
      @akam9919 Před 4 měsíci +10

      If you're the government, you theoretically could, "legally" and/or surreptitiously.

    • @DashDaSlaya
      @DashDaSlaya Před 4 měsíci +9

      That is so true I mean how can it infect via sound I get it can send data and download it and run code but to get the code you would already need a payload on the device waiting to hear the sound and download it so it would need wifi to get the payload on the devices so it is clear if it was real that person did a stupid job a isolating the devices from wifi

    • @SolitaryElite
      @SolitaryElite Před 4 měsíci +8

      you know hes a skid when he says 'zero-day' ahahah

  • @MysticClaws100
    @MysticClaws100 Před 4 měsíci +149

    My favourite part about the nirvana bit at 10:18 is you're not even playing Nirvana, you're playing an obscure Green day track from their first album

    • @RiverBoatPirate
      @RiverBoatPirate Před 3 měsíci +5

      ...Wait...
      -Was that not the joke?

    • @Krono159
      @Krono159 Před 3 měsíci +7

      @@RiverBoatPirate it is exactly the joke :b

    • @JuniperAbaddon
      @JuniperAbaddon Před 3 měsíci +7

      It's "At The Library", for those interested

    • @creatorglitch
      @creatorglitch Před měsícem +1

      oh my god that's just beautiful

  • @elvendragonhammer5433
    @elvendragonhammer5433 Před 4 měsíci +233

    I work in IT/security (in software, hardware repair, & programming) Some years a go I did work for a client where a virus spread to 12 of his computers- it was NOT this virus though, if it ever existed. However there was a similarity- wiping the drives did just let it re-install. Started checking to see if it was creating a hidden partition on the HD & reinstalling from there, or staying in memory in an expansion card (there were some similar to this that could hide in your dedicated video or sound card & used it's processor & ram as a staging area to re-infect the system after a re-install). After a bit of tracing I found out the virus was actually in the router itself, & had originally gotten access because the routers access info had never been changed after the factory preset. After flashing the routers bios it wasn't an issue anymore, still tracked down where it came from & added lines into the windows hosts file of the server & router to make sure that it'd never be allowed to try to go back to those IP's or any domain/subnet connected to them. Was a tricky lil bugger for sure, but ultimately just needed the right insecticide- me.

    • @NicksLocker
      @NicksLocker Před 4 měsíci +6

      Wow that is so cool! I was honestly wondering if it had to do with the router. Is there a name for this virus?

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci +9

      Smart of you to suspect the router, good job!

    • @elvendragonhammer5433
      @elvendragonhammer5433 Před 4 měsíci +10

      I'm sure it has a name, but I don't know what it is. When I encountered it I was trying to fix 12 PC's + the router for a business client that got infected & didn't have the tools with me to do a flash dump of the bios from the router. He'd already lost thousands of dollars in revenue because of the downtime before he got ahold of me. So I didn't waste anytime killing it once I found out where it originated.
      Might not have been able to anyway- even if I had the tools with me; if it used weird voltages or pinouts, never done one on a router before anyway, so the software might not have worked either as they are usually written for a family of specific chips not just any random one- It would also matter if it was a PROM, EPROM or EEPROM. Some can't read/write certain types as well; sometimes not at all. I also haven't run into that router one again, apparently it was a shiny...
      Just for reference, even if you did find it or one similar & you let it loose outside of a virtual machine you can be prosecuted for it; even if it was an accident. The good antivirus companies, are like palworld trainers now- they have algorithms that as soon as they find a new virus, malware, trojan, in the wild it automatically contains, analyzes it & usually has a record of the first place it found it right down to the IP address & city. They also track it's spread & how many devices of what type, Servers, PC, android, linux, Mac, IOS etc that it infects & start working on an antivirus patch immediately. That's not including the other cyber security companies or ppl like me who report & upload stuff we come across. Then there's local police cyber crime units & government sanctioned ones too. (Also, Norton antivirus & McCafee are the bottom 2 worst on the list)@@NicksLocker

    • @elvendragonhammer5433
      @elvendragonhammer5433 Před 4 měsíci

      Thanks, appreciated. Been doing this stuuf for a long time.@@thatoneglitchpokemon

    • @londonlaraee
      @londonlaraee Před 3 měsíci +1

      @@elvendragonhammer5433what would your recommendation be for a good antivirus?

  • @Nethuja_GunawardaneSL
    @Nethuja_GunawardaneSL Před 4 měsíci +121

    New fear unlocked: Science-fiction computer viruses

  • @dovietsonut
    @dovietsonut Před 4 měsíci +226

    Full stack developer and cyber security engineer chiming in here. I can imagine how such an attack vector is possible in theory. Suppose there is a security flaw in the sound chip on the motherboard. Across all hardware types there are only a handful of popular sound chips (e.g. Realtek). I'm not certain at what point in the stack the microphone input is silenced but it's possible it could be listening at the hardware level all the time and it gets ignored at the operating system or application layer when not in use by anything. Even if that's not the case, anytime you're having a chat on discord/teams/webex/zoom/etc the microphone is listening and processing data so it could infiltrate then. Since the sound chip processes data at a low level integrated with the UEFI a vulnerability in the sound processing could allow an exploit to circumvent much of the protections placed on the UEFI, explaining how the virus seemingly embeds itself. Once the UEFI is compromised, it's (relatively) trivial to program it with malware that targets multiple operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD, etc).
    But again, that's just theory. I think it's more likely a hoax or he came to the wrong conclusion about what is going on. It seems more likely to me that the malware infected the systems some other way and they were set to initiate on a certain date or other trigger. Even air-gapped systems have to get loaded with an OS at some point; maybe the install medium was compromised. I'm going to do some more research...

    • @nukabrola5746
      @nukabrola5746 Před 4 měsíci +15

      You’ve developed a pretty compelling theory, here, imo
      I’m just speaking as an amateur, but - the way the attack is described, it sounds pretty sophisticated. I’m sure anyone dedicated enough to replicate phone phreaking in computers would choose to implement multiple attack vectors. By the time you notice something’s going on at the “surface” level of you PC; it’s too late. It’s been installed deep in the system! And recursively/redundantly, too, if it’s infecting every USB that it encounters. If that’s the case, AND your boot media is installed on an infected USB, it can just keep reintroducing itself into the system.
      Hmm. Maybe more of a worm than a virus, now that I think about it…
      Anyway, thanks for your informative and thought provoking comment 😊

    • @snorman1911
      @snorman1911 Před 4 měsíci +4

      Look everyone, a full stack dev!

    • @FatheredPuma81
      @FatheredPuma81 Před 4 měsíci +12

      The issue is you still have to transfer ungodly amounts of information (an exploit for every chip he owns, a virus for every UEFI he owns, and then the whole virus) over extremely unreliable and slow dialup with some crazy wacky data correction that probably cuts the already glacial speed to a 10th. Not to mention somehow storing all the data on a bios chip?
      I'm willing to bet it's a USB device virus on one of his devices (mouse, keyboard, flash drive, shady Chinese product, etc, etc). Delayed activation as you said to make it ultra confusing.
      P.S. I'm not an expert on any of this. All I have is a load of general information gathered over a decade and a half of heavy computer use.

    • @ElNeroDiablo
      @ElNeroDiablo Před 4 měsíci +6

      Considering that at the time of Dragos reporting about BadBIOS, every Macbook from the prior ~5 years was running Intel CPU's with Intel Management Engine (which has been part of every Intel CPU since 2008, and has been proven to be exploited), combined with the relative rarity of AMD-powered laptops outside the low-end budget segment at the time, I personally would not be surprised if the IME was used as part of the attack vector thus allowing the malware to bypass the need to know every BIOS/UEFI varient.

    • @FatheredPuma81
      @FatheredPuma81 Před 4 měsíci +3

      ​@@Im-VTUsed a 2008 Macbook in 2010 for school and it had an insanely good microphone. Windows laptops? hahahah no.

  • @DamianOchramowicz
    @DamianOchramowicz Před 4 měsíci +58

    It is a fun creepypasta, nothing more. It would require an entire protocol to transfer the virus using speakers and microphone, with error correction and so on. It basically implies that you can control the operating system with microphone (saving executable file and then running it), you would need another protocol for that.
    Then you have problem of overwriting BIOS from the level of operating system, which I don't think is even possible. Back in the day you would have to run BIOS Setup before OS had even started to update it from the floppy.

    • @Mavendow
      @Mavendow Před 4 měsíci +1

      Not only is overwriting the BIOS possible from the OS, even the CPU microcode can be overwritten. How? It's called the IME or Intel Management Engine. Yes, Intel's AMT allows for a Ring -3 (negative three) rootkit, but it's turned off by default... Supposedly. We don't really know because the code is secret.

    • @ShadowEO
      @ShadowEO Před 4 měsíci

      I mean, Windows PCs have a table in their ACPI allowing one to embed binaries to be dropped and run during Windows boot. (WBPT) But in this case, I mean, Apple has used OpenFirmware or EFI for years, so secure boot and/or their inbuilt boot chain protection would've been a factor for a long while.

    • @infinitivez
      @infinitivez Před 3 měsíci

      ​@@Mavendow The shorthand is just ME, and good luck flashing anything onto it without the Hoffman tables for that particular unit. That's not a thing you're likely to be able to even pull off on your own system, let alone anyone else's. Unless of course the decryption tables were leaked out of Intel and I'm unaware of it?

    • @UltimatePerfection
      @UltimatePerfection Před 2 měsíci

      Yeah, I don't think an ordinary cybercriminal would be capable of something like that. A dedicated state actor on the other hand?

  • @ebmar
    @ebmar Před 4 měsíci +49

    QR code goes to The Beatles - All My Loving

    • @CyanRooper
      @CyanRooper Před 4 měsíci +14

      Missed opportunity to have the QR code be a Rickroll.

    • @T-Dawg75
      @T-Dawg75 Před 26 dny +2

      @@CyanRooperthat’s what I assumed

  • @brianm.7421
    @brianm.7421 Před 4 měsíci +45

    Anyone who works with electronics knows that coils in circuits can generate high frequency sounds, since the coil vibrates when working at high frequencies, and sometimes it is audible. Excellent story, it's for a black mirror episode haha 😂

    • @MikePerreman
      @MikePerreman Před 4 měsíci +3

      Tfw you're constantly getting reinfected with that 60Hz line-frequency malware

  • @cori11ian
    @cori11ian Před 4 měsíci +14

    This is clearly a hoax. The main reason being, as you identified, that any target computer would already need to be compromised in order for the microphone to be enabled and software would need to be running on the OS to interpret the sounds as code. Audio hardware will not operate unless the OS has the correct driver running. That this guy had it isolated in a lab, yet hasn't produced any evidence in over 10 years seals the deal.

  • @presidentkiller
    @presidentkiller Před 4 měsíci +15

    The only two ways this could be possible are:
    1. Somebody working at the computer companies know about a series of vulnerabilities that make this possible, and is actively exploiting them.
    2. Some government agency has access to a backdoor that was discovered by a third party that exploits it, or the government agency itself (either willingly or because they've been compromised) is exploiting it.
    As you said, this is a very expensive and complicated way to make malware, so only those two options kinda make sense.

    • @DinoTaken
      @DinoTaken Před 4 měsíci

      I... I don't think the government or an organization would be trying to hack people, they have no point to, and this happens rarely.

    • @thebobbrom7176
      @thebobbrom7176 Před 4 dny

      The 2nd one was the one i gravitsted towards if I'm honest
      The the vulnerability is on the BIOS then it wouldn't show up as a process on the computer so would be next to impossible to detect.
      And governments being able to shut down computers with a sound sounds too good for them to not at least try

  • @drako_claw
    @drako_claw Před 4 měsíci +10

    People forget that early Internet connections, especially early dial up (14.4k in particular) - the data connection was made entirely by sound. So you were receiving data via sound. The v.92 dial up modems were the first I saw that used a digitized connection after the initial dial in an handshake, which was still done by sound. (The noise of robots killing each other.)

  • @valmarsiglia
    @valmarsiglia Před 4 měsíci +14

    "Communicating information with sound is not at all unheard of. We've been doing it for hundreds of years." Yeah, I think we've been doing that for a bit longer, lol.

  • @ordovicianinnova
    @ordovicianinnova Před 4 měsíci +22

    This is like a computer-based urban legend.

  • @jaymogrified
    @jaymogrified Před 4 měsíci +54

    Even if it’s not possible as written, I gotta give kudos to the “Bones” writer(s) who came up with the idea of malware carved into a skeleton; very creative and forward-thinking, especially if it’s theoretically possible for it to have done something under the right circumstances.

    • @fusseldieb
      @fusseldieb Před 3 měsíci

      But not blowing up lmao

    • @UltimatePerfection
      @UltimatePerfection Před 2 měsíci +1

      ​​@@fusseldiebIf the malware stops system fans and overclock the components to the point of thermal failure, why not?

  • @elbiggus
    @elbiggus Před 4 měsíci +15

    "A lot less options to choose from computer-wise in the 80s"? Citation needed!
    In the here and now there are essentially two basic CPU platforms - x86 and ARM - and while there may be a gazillion motherboard manufacturers the underlying architectures are fairly homogenised (particularly in the x86 world). In the 80s, however, we had a myriad of CPUs - 8088, x86, Z80, 6502, 680x0, TMS9900, etc. - and even computers that shared a CPU would often have wildly different architectures. In the UK in the 1980s we had the ZX Spectrum, BBC/Acorn, Oric, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Dragon, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Amiga, PC, VIC-20/C64/C128, Mac, and probably a bunch more I've forgotten. The 80s were a wild time!

    • @CazRaX
      @CazRaX Před 4 měsíci +2

      Not even the Wild West, it was full out caveman warfare for the computer verse. I watch videos on all the old PCs and it gives me a headache how many different, same part using, yet not at all compatible computers there were.

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci

      Wikipedia moment

    • @DinoTaken
      @DinoTaken Před 4 měsíci

      he said it can still happen

  • @Mempler
    @Mempler Před 4 měsíci +45

    UEFI and BIOS are still effectively the same.
    One of which are just easier to use. BIOS itself is a pain but very simple to use and implement. UEFI can be worse, UEFI implementations depend to have firmware bugs, super annoying shit when doing osdev
    But uefi has a lot of benifits like built-in boot-loader drivers and secure boot. and generally is indeed easier to use as it is a plain C api, every Win32 developer should be familiar with.

    • @infinitivez
      @infinitivez Před 3 měsíci

      a BIOS is the basic input output system and will always run in 16bit (where as UEFI can run under 32 or 64). - I find legacy bugs we used to run into far worse than any UEFI counterparts. But part of me does miss calling INT 13 for a quick reboot.

  • @WolfPackGamingOfficial
    @WolfPackGamingOfficial Před 4 měsíci +77

    To be honest, a movie about AI turning evil and infecting computers due to a sound sounds like a cool plot. Nice video BTW!

    • @CyanRooper
      @CyanRooper Před 4 měsíci +8

      "In 2077 what makes someone a criminal? Spreading computer viruses by playing Despacito in public."

    • @Senjamin
      @Senjamin Před 4 měsíci +3

      imagining bird box but for androids hearing things

    • @memes_gbc674
      @memes_gbc674 Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@Senjamin there used to be a problem with certain frequencies in music that blue screened old laptops with mechanical hard drives, like if you were playing the music next to the laptop it would just crash

    • @WolfPackGamingOfficial
      @WolfPackGamingOfficial Před 4 měsíci

      @@CyanRooper LOL

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci

      the sound sounds good 👌

  • @1will2000will1
    @1will2000will1 Před 4 měsíci +13

    What if he was trying to get people thinking about the security of other parts of computer hardware and software? Sure, in this specific representation, the likelihood of a virus acting that way is slim... but it makes you wonder what else is actually possible.

  • @LunaStar666
    @LunaStar666 Před 4 měsíci +13

    To me it just sounds like a creepypasta. Plus, since there's no evidence, I personally believe, it's not real.

    • @joshuamccutcheon
      @joshuamccutcheon Před 3 měsíci +1

      It's most likely exactly that, a creepypasta hoax.

  • @ShadowSora8491
    @ShadowSora8491 Před 4 měsíci +9

    About that Bones episode you're talking about: the reason Angela's computer went up in flames (according to the logic of the show, not necessarily real life) is because the virus not only disabled the computer's cooling system, but also disabled any fail-safes against the inital disabling, which caused her computer to overheat. Like you, NationSquid, I dunno if that would actually cause it to go up in flames or not, but I just wanted to add some context to that scene.
    Anyway, I like that you covered what is essentially an urban legend, while explaining some of the logistics of it, instead of just calling it a hoax and calling it a day. I definitely learned a few things from this video.

    • @Amphibax
      @Amphibax Před 4 měsíci

      Im no expert but I would assume a CPU would physicaly destroy itself from the heat before the computer could catch on flames

    • @ShadowSora8491
      @ShadowSora8491 Před 4 měsíci

      @Amphibax I was only giving context to the scene and not claiming that they depicted things accurately.

  • @KangJangkrik
    @KangJangkrik Před 4 měsíci +8

    Sending data thru sound without errors is technically possible. We can use two different frequencies to represent high bit (1) and low bit (0) then add error correction such as hamming code. However, implementing this on BIOS is almost impossible because hacker need to squeeze the required hardware drivers into teeny tiny BIOS storage.

  • @krissjacobsen9434
    @krissjacobsen9434 Před 4 měsíci +12

    There is one possibility you didn't cover, and that is that the hardware shipped infected from the factory. Most computers are made in China (even MacBooks), and a lot of them are made from OEM manufacturers like Foxconn (even MacBooks). There has already been documented cases of chinese made american electronics "calling home" to chinese servers. If companies like Foxconn is instructed to ship computers and phones they make with infected firmware, they sure can. And then they can lay dormant until some weird code is transmitted via sound. Maybe even embedded into a hit song for all that I know.
    I believe this to be the most likely scenario, although this story itself seems very unlikely. All of it is theoretically possible, but to actually carry this out in the real world would be expensive and really difficult. Unless you're the corrupt government of one of the largest economies in the world.

    • @Amphibax
      @Amphibax Před 4 měsíci

      But in that scenario why should the virus make itself noticable? When your just stealing data its best stay hidden and never getting noticed. Still in theory one of the best explanaitions.

    • @gabrielv.4358
      @gabrielv.4358 Před 4 měsíci

      thats awesome to know

  • @keaton_m
    @keaton_m Před 4 měsíci +14

    Great video. But the QR code example doesn't really work because standard it's built on has a lot of redundancy and error correction. That's the reason qr codes can have little images in the middle, the error correction fills in the missing data.

    • @redo1122
      @redo1122 Před 3 měsíci +1

      The same way as CD can be scratched, but still read properly

  • @hyperturbotechnomike
    @hyperturbotechnomike Před 4 měsíci +7

    Most BIOSes aren't too different from each other. They are often just licensed from Phoenix and the OEMs slap their custom GUI on top of it.

  • @jamesbender3809
    @jamesbender3809 Před 4 měsíci +3

    The spookiest part? The MacBook Air NEVER had an optical drive of any kind.

  • @Amonimus
    @Amonimus Před 4 měsíci +30

    The fact that you've managed to transmit an image by noise just for demonstration is spectacular on its own.

    • @mrkoyunreis
      @mrkoyunreis Před 4 měsíci +9

      Not to break the vibe, but thats a really easy thing to do and there are lots of tools that will do it for you.

    • @Meta7
      @Meta7 Před 4 měsíci +6

      You can draw literally anything on a spectrogram and then converting it to a sound wave. It's really not that complicated.

    • @alexanderkarren6455
      @alexanderkarren6455 Před 4 měsíci +3

      Transmitting data via audio really isn’t that impressive nowadays

    • @lord_snigglebottom
      @lord_snigglebottom Před 4 měsíci

      technology is a wonderful thing ,,

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@lord_snigglebottom2 comma crisis oh no 😟

  • @gstcomputing65
    @gstcomputing65 Před 4 měsíci +3

    That's why I only use OS/2 Warp 4. I can't do anything with it, but I've never got infected with a virus.

  • @Kyle-xv5kv
    @Kyle-xv5kv Před 4 měsíci +4

    Macbook Air's don't have CD drives.

  • @_secret-star
    @_secret-star Před 4 měsíci +11

    There are BIOS or UEFI viruses. There are even UEFI or BIOS scanners, like ESET has a UEFI scanner in it's EIS suitue. The "spread through the air" "don't care about airgap" is not very realistic.

    • @petevenuti7355
      @petevenuti7355 Před 4 měsíci

      I thought those were only for the early generations of UEFI

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci

      @@petevenuti7355not only that but some modern pcs too

    • @petevenuti7355
      @petevenuti7355 Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@thatoneglitchpokemon really? without having to disable secure boot or anything other security features?
      If that's true, it makes the whole UEFI thing seem like a pain in the ass & waste of time .
      Just run a Linux BIOS with emulator

    • @DinoTaken
      @DinoTaken Před 4 měsíci

      no airgap is actually a real thing

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 3 měsíci

      @@petevenuti7355well, you are right, without secure boot, it's kinda impossible. still saying that, some legitamite services require secure boot to be turned off, and that can lead to some viruses leaking into uefi

  • @Alej0731
    @Alej0731 Před 4 měsíci +5

    What MacBook Air has ever had a CD-Drive??

    • @DinoTaken
      @DinoTaken Před 4 měsíci

      You can use Music to listen to the music on your CDs. In the Music app on your Mac, insert an audio CD into your computer's CD or DVD drive, or into an external drive that's connected to your computer.
      Apple said that idk

  • @General_Grievous1998
    @General_Grievous1998 Před 4 měsíci +27

    Babe wake up, new nation squid video dropped

    • @Ghs6
      @Ghs6 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Already awake

    • @tealover70
      @tealover70 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I’m wide awake honey!!!

    • @brian8507
      @brian8507 Před 4 měsíci

      This meme died years ago. Stop

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci

      In Australia it's 1:24 perfect time for CZcams

    • @lwfawn
      @lwfawn Před 4 měsíci +2

      Erm, actually, the channel’s proper name is Nation’s Quid. Please reconsider your comment.

  • @emilypinto2346
    @emilypinto2346 Před 2 měsíci

    The way you explain stuff for us is so good. Like using the example of covering up a part of a picture of urself vs a QR code and the example of speaking French to a person who speaks English and the examples like that are SO helpful for me to understand. I subscribed because you take complex topics that I want to understand and make them something that I can understand and I love it

  • @gabriela7348
    @gabriela7348 Před 4 měsíci +5

    I remember when one time Mutahar from SomeOrdinaryGamers said that when EAS is used in Japan some special signal is broadcasted that turns devices (like TV's) on to show the emergency broadcast (and then they start to emit that sound to activate more devices). No idea if it would work on PC's as well tho

    • @Zuxtron
      @Zuxtron Před 4 měsíci +4

      I'm going to assume that Japanese televisions are specifically programmed to detect that sound and display the broadcast when they hear it. You couldn't just play that sound to any TV and have it react that way.

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci

      If that was possible loads of trolls would just play the sound

  • @PeeperSnail
    @PeeperSnail Před 3 měsíci +2

    The fact the subreddit dedicated to it is also mostly just about "electromagnetic targetting", mass surveillance, mind control, sound weapons, etc. etc. as well as being abandoned, there's not a lot of credence to the people outside of the original guy who claim to have also encountered the virus.

  • @pixelcrow_
    @pixelcrow_ Před 4 měsíci +3

    hell yea ,, this channel is the best for watching videos from while eating a meal, perfect entertainment. i was so excited when i got the notif that this was uploaded the other day and i finally have some time to myself to sit down and enjoy it

  • @ChinchillaJimmy
    @ChinchillaJimmy Před 4 měsíci +2

    I was wondering when the legend would upload once again. I love these types of videos! :)

  • @corpix
    @corpix Před 4 měsíci +5

    How would the infected computer be able to tell the uninfected computers through sound if they weren't listening? Meaning if the mic isn't on.

  • @ryzenfox5688
    @ryzenfox5688 Před 4 měsíci +5

    I’m surprise you didn’t talk about SSTV at all, it’s what nasa used to send images back from space and such it’s really cool

    • @Cowloverdude
      @Cowloverdude Před 4 měsíci +1

      Yes absolutely really cool! Unfortunately the SSTV transmitter on the ISS is currently broken and awaiting repair last I checked :(

  • @_SYDGAMING_
    @_SYDGAMING_ Před 4 měsíci +22

    I presume this is the same kinda thing when you call a mobile but it's still ringing but breaks for a slight second where you can hear the other person's phone but hasn't picked up yet. And continues ringing

  • @ipissinlitterboxes
    @ipissinlitterboxes Před 4 měsíci +6

    Listening to this at the gym, never missing a a new nation squid vid

  • @JelloBoi-xr4qe
    @JelloBoi-xr4qe Před 3 měsíci +1

    Imagine a bioweapon that changes your eyes so that you become a computer virus on webcam

  • @guyblack9729
    @guyblack9729 Před 4 měsíci +12

    I'm surprised the Intel Management Engine or AMD Platform Security Processor weren't considered as possible parts of the explanation

  • @taylorwoolston8856
    @taylorwoolston8856 Před 4 měsíci +3

    I'm not a professional computer scientist or anything, but even I know this is total baloney.

    • @annoythedonkey
      @annoythedonkey Před 3 měsíci +1

      What if you created a virus that made itself look like a device that presented itself as a WiFi network?

  • @vrclckd-zz3pv
    @vrclckd-zz3pv Před 4 měsíci +2

    My phone can read the QR code at 16:56 perfectly line. The QR standard includes error correction bits for when a QR has been partially occluded.

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci

      It's hilarious that nationsquid has no idea about this when there are 5 comments about error correction

  • @tylern6420
    @tylern6420 Před 4 měsíci +2

    This would require physical manipulation of the BIOS chips, which is impossible on a large scale

  • @th3fish
    @th3fish Před 4 měsíci

    You do a great job explaining such complex topics

  • @coffeecat086
    @coffeecat086 Před 3 měsíci +1

    The first thing I thought of when you spoke about the transmission through sound was that you would have to turn the microphone on in the first place, aside from all the other technical aspects, that’s the bit that seems off.

  • @MightyDantheman
    @MightyDantheman Před 4 měsíci +1

    That bone scanning malware isn't as ridiculous when you learn that HP's excuse for their printers requiring 1st-party ink cartridges is that it's possible for 3rd-arty ink cartridges to contain malware. Although, I guess the big difference here is that HP intentionally created a problem so that they could be the solution to said problem.

  • @theguy04hi
    @theguy04hi Před 4 měsíci +2

    No premier? Thats new😂 good editing ad always !

  • @TSFboi
    @TSFboi Před 9 dny

    "there's a high pitched sound in this room and it's giving computers viruses" is the kind of information that makes someone crazy with paranoia

  • @chartreusechartroos
    @chartreusechartroos Před 4 měsíci +1

    my favourite example of sound being used to communicate is the 2012 and boom furbies using ear-bleeding ultrasound

  • @fr33bird7891
    @fr33bird7891 Před 4 měsíci

    Love the shirt!! Halt and Catch Fire is so underrated.

  • @tjb3171
    @tjb3171 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Super interesting video!! Also- subtitles not working?

  • @melsbacksfriend
    @melsbacksfriend Před 2 měsíci

    One thing worth noting is that error correcting code (ecc) exists. It's a means of putting redundant bits in data in case parts of the transmission are lost. One place you'll commonly see this is in methods of optically encoding data such as qr codes, bar codes and cds.

  • @multi-mason
    @multi-mason Před 4 měsíci +3

    That QR Code probably would have scanned just fine. QR Codes typically include error correction. The image you transmitted could have been formatted with error correction as well.

  • @vizthex
    @vizthex Před 2 měsíci

    i was waiting for a door to pop up in that intro while you said "welcome to the twilight zone" or something lol

  • @the_pseudo_nim
    @the_pseudo_nim Před 4 měsíci +1

    "Oh I love Nirvana! They make the best clothes" Really sent me. 😂😅🤣

  • @goregrindisthebestgenre
    @goregrindisthebestgenre Před 4 měsíci +2

    Possibly your best virus video.

  • @albertwesker2k24
    @albertwesker2k24 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Something very similar happened to me back in 2013. I had to physically change the actual HDD because wiping the whole system didn't actually work.

  • @Core_Of_The_Void
    @Core_Of_The_Void Před 4 měsíci +3

    It’s impressive how Pwn2Own still happens yearly to this very day even after the BadBIOS incident!

  • @TheSayuVA
    @TheSayuVA Před 4 měsíci

    You know it's a great day when a new NationSquid video drops!

  • @FatheredPuma81
    @FatheredPuma81 Před 4 měsíci +3

    Some ultra obscure Wifi hack would have been more believable seeing as a wifi card still has power when disabled. Sound is absolutely absurd to an extreme degree lol.
    It'd probably take insane amounts of work to hack a computer with sound period, that's not to mention you have to transmit insane amounts of data over it, and let's not even start about trying to transmit any amount of data over an extremely extremely unreliable dialup connection.

  • @RogueCarrot
    @RogueCarrot Před 4 měsíci +2

    MacBook Airs don't have optical drives. Never did. Even when Macs still had optical drives. That right there would be enough to discredit him in my eyes. lol

  • @MrGrimm73
    @MrGrimm73 Před 4 měsíci +1

    QR code gold! Good one, I'm glad curiosity got the best of me. 😉

  • @thepetrarcticwar2778
    @thepetrarcticwar2778 Před 4 měsíci +1

    BadBIOS would have completely pwned every computer system in existence that wasn't either horribly outdated, running a highly obscure operating system (Haiku, OpenVMS, AmigaOS) or running on an obscure processor architecture (i.e. SPARC64, PowerPC, etcetra)

  • @dpennington19
    @dpennington19 Před 4 měsíci +7

    The vocal fry on this man. This is the voice Malware would speak with.

  • @The-eater-of-flesh
    @The-eater-of-flesh Před 4 měsíci +8

    WE GETTIN OUT OF THE COMPUTER VIRUS WITH THIS ONE ‼️‼️‼️💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥🗣️🗣️🗣️

  • @balala4641
    @balala4641 Před 4 měsíci +2

    The only way I can see this working is if someone hijacked the Intel Management Engine or the AMD Platform Security Processor; or anything like those. To do that, you would probably have to get whatever key Windows tends to have to these kinds of things and put it into your own software.

  • @heavyd9949
    @heavyd9949 Před 4 měsíci +1

    I had a bad case of computer virus infecting my PC back in 2010. It would disable the task manager on Windows XP and could not be deleted through a format and reinstalling of the OS. Don't know if it infected the BIOS or not but a computer repair shop was able to cleanse whatever was infected and put the PC in working order.

    • @tylern6420
      @tylern6420 Před 4 měsíci

      was this some sort of permission block virus
      the only thing that comes to mind is that the virus got admin perms and locked all of your actions

    • @tylern6420
      @tylern6420 Před 4 měsíci

      but im unsure about the formatting part

    • @thatoneglitchpokemon
      @thatoneglitchpokemon Před 4 měsíci

      How to cleanse your pc:
      Step 1:
      SCRUB

  • @Kitkatcaitlin
    @Kitkatcaitlin Před 4 měsíci

    Its always a good day when nationsquid uploads

  • @Raveheart
    @Raveheart Před 4 měsíci +1

    HAM radio operators have their own thing of sound-to-data, called SSTV. They send a ~30 second beepidy-boop through the shortwave band and the receiver, who can be thousands of miles away unter certain circumstances, can restore a low resolution still image from that. Basically you can send memes around the globe without internet. Sometimes even the ISS sends SSTV images, but you gotta plan the reception, because you can only get the signal if the station is visible at "your" sky.
    But it gets even crazier, a lesser known standard called NBTV whis is even lower resolution, but the image can move like a GIF.

  • @TrineDaely
    @TrineDaely Před 4 měsíci

    Some computers also have IR sensors that are used for communicating. Given the chance I turn off everything like that.
    I still expect to see malware spread via RFD.

  • @Fs_ailure
    @Fs_ailure Před 4 měsíci +1

    tf why isnt this channel more popular

  • @hackaboom
    @hackaboom Před 4 měsíci

    Fun fact you can use sound to break encryption in your cpu. Sounds wild but basically anytime something(electron) is moving its gonna move stuff around which will make sound in our atmosphere.

  • @bullets4luv
    @bullets4luv Před 4 měsíci +1

    If anyone was wondering, the QR code leads to a Beatles song. I'm just happy it wasn't a Rick roll or the Josh Hutcherson edit.

  • @tylerdurdin8069
    @tylerdurdin8069 Před 3 měsíci +1

    It dont need to be a bios virus. It could have imbedded itself in the factory image of the backup so that it couldnt be removed by a reset. Got 4 bugs myself that does this.

  • @derrekclay7425
    @derrekclay7425 Před 4 měsíci

    Nice Green Day reference @10:19. Kudos, sir.

  • @yoshiyajoshuakiryu3198
    @yoshiyajoshuakiryu3198 Před 4 měsíci +1

    I worked in the government as an it tech. We had a virus that made the computer “sing”. We had to flash the bios and low level format the drive. So it did exist. And I hated that. We lost a lot of data because users refused to save to network. 😂
    Luckily, he was in a very well shielded office using…Windows ME. Yeah. I know. 😂

  • @REALPapaLags
    @REALPapaLags Před 2 měsíci

    I like that I learned about how computers, WiFi, and Bluetooth work through sound!

  • @korneliusfrik9545
    @korneliusfrik9545 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Can we once talk about how nicely he set up the compunters and all the vms

  • @y2keef
    @y2keef Před 4 měsíci

    Always a pleasure to see the Squid Kid! 😍

  • @witchywoman2008
    @witchywoman2008 Před 4 měsíci

    I’d never heard of this before and now it is going to consuming my every waking thought for the next month.

  • @1337GameDev
    @1337GameDev Před 4 měsíci

    16:15 - that's what would need to happen with sound... except the frequency is limited and 1 shared channel (communal air in a space) are used....

  • @stuffz4040
    @stuffz4040 Před 2 měsíci

    I mean as a 2000s kid, these virus lore are a lot better than the sonic.exe tech horror I was brought up with

  • @Saavik256
    @Saavik256 Před 4 měsíci

    Another good example of transmission of images via sound is SSTV. Also, darn, it's been literally decades since I last saw an acoustic coupler.

  • @iamlorddems3859
    @iamlorddems3859 Před 4 měsíci

    It might just be a challenge wrapped up in a spooky story

  • @Hentai_Protag
    @Hentai_Protag Před 4 měsíci +1

    This is like the first computer creepypasta

  • @oklahomasoonersfootball
    @oklahomasoonersfootball Před 4 měsíci

    Great vid. I wish you make the history of windows computer and laptop

  • @TheCinemaMan777
    @TheCinemaMan777 Před 4 měsíci

    Love the Halt and Catch Fire shirt! Not enough people watched that gem

  • @Chad_Thundercock
    @Chad_Thundercock Před 4 měsíci +1

    Most speakers and microphones are engineered to work between 2Khz - 20Khz. To actually transmit with sound, and not be heard by humans, you'd need something higher than 25Khz, and good luck finding equipment that can do that unless you're willing to spend stupid amounts of money.

  • @FragileJesseLord
    @FragileJesseLord Před 4 měsíci +1

    16:57 The QR code is still readable! Thanks, error correction :D

  • @SleepyLuigi
    @SleepyLuigi Před 4 měsíci

    Wow! A video about what’s on my iPhone!

  • @xxlarrytfvwxx9531
    @xxlarrytfvwxx9531 Před 4 měsíci +1

    0:47 Could this be part of the origin of Kamen Rider Ex-aid's bugster virus?
    10:38 I think in one of the8bitguy's videos he got the c64 floppy disc drive to "read" a program just by playing a sound file near the drive?

  • @purpleleyt
    @purpleleyt Před 4 měsíci +2

    i did the qr code it went to the beatles

  • @TheSizzleDash
    @TheSizzleDash Před 4 měsíci

    I had a nightmare I got a virus from downloading 3 “hosts” files from old forums that would block any websites with “gore” or any old shock site keywords. But it of course infected my PC.

    • @Nine_Divines
      @Nine_Divines Před 4 měsíci

      You know if you ever feel the need to talk to someone, there are people that can help with addictions like this.. Just sayin'

    • @TheSizzleDash
      @TheSizzleDash Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@Nine_Divines What? What the hell makes you think I've got some addiction? To what?

  • @joeshabado1431
    @joeshabado1431 Před 4 měsíci +3

    Yeah this is a tech creepypasta. We are in the age of my truth is reality and facts don't matter if it sounds cool.

  • @androntop
    @androntop Před 4 měsíci

    Just started the video and I can tell that this video is gonna be amazing

  • @raeganj6744
    @raeganj6744 Před 4 měsíci

    I’ve been wondering this for a bit, is that painting on your wall Twiggy?