In one of the strangest tales to emerge from Windows XP-era tech support, a major computer manufacturer uncovered a baffling issue: playing Janet Jackson’s 1989 hit “Rhythm Nation” could crash certain models of laptops. But the real twist came when they discovered that the crash wasn’t limited to the device playing the music video. Nearby laptops, not playing the video, would also mysteriously shut down.
What began as a routine troubleshooting case quickly spiralled into a bizarre intersection of pop music and cybersecurity. In this blog article, Geraint Williams, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Modern Networks, explains how a 1980s pop song became a security vulnerability.
What Was Wrong with Rhythm Nation?
Believe it or not, Janet Jackson’s 1989 hit Rhythm Nation once caused certain laptops to crash—just by playing the music video. The issue wasn’t with the video itself, but with a very specific sound frequency in the song. That frequency happened to match the natural “resonant frequency” of some older laptop hard drives.
A resonant frequency is the specific pitch at which an object naturally vibrates. If you hit that pitch just right, it can cause the object to shake more than usual, like how a singer can shatter a glass by hitting the perfect note. In this case, the sound in Rhythm Nation caused the hard drives in some laptops to vibrate so much that they stopped working properly.
To fix the problem, one computer manufacturer added a special filter to the audio system. This filter would detect and remove the problematic frequency before it could reach the speakers and cause any damage.
Because of this strange behaviour, the music video was officially classified as a security vulnerability. It was even given a formal ID: CVE-2022-38392. The type of vulnerability is known as a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. That means it can make a device stop working temporarily, without damaging it permanently. In this case, it was a side-channel attack, where the problem came from sound waves rather than software or hacking. While this might sound alarming, there’s no real risk today. Modern laptops and hard drives are built differently, and playing Rhythm Nation won’t crash your computer.
CVE stands for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. It’s a system used to identify and catalogue publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Each CVE entry gets a unique ID (like CVE-2022-38392) and includes a brief description of the issue. This helps security professionals, software vendors, and users talk about and fix vulnerabilities using a common reference.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the only time sound caused tech trouble. In 2017, a security researcher showed that playing a 130Hz tone (a low-pitched sound) could make a hard drive stop responding. That same year, scientists from Princeton and Purdue universities published research showing how sound could be used to disrupt hard drives in computers, ATMs, and even security cameras.
What Can We Learn from Rhythm Nation?
While the direct impact of this vulnerability might seem limited to a specific era of hardware and a particular song, it serves as a powerful reminder of several key cybersecurity principles:
- Unexpected Attack Vectors: This case demonstrates that vulnerabilities aren’t always confined to traditional software exploits. Physical phenomena, environmental factors, or even audio signals can, in rare cases, become attack vectors. It forces us to think outside the box when considering potential threats.
- Hardware Vulnerabilities: We often focus on software patches, but hardware itself can have inherent weaknesses. This highlights the importance of considering the entire technology stack when assessing risk.
- Legacy System Risks: While the affected drives are from an older era, legacy systems are still in use in many environments. This vulnerability underscores the importance of inventorying and understanding the risks associated with older hardware, even if it seems benign.
- The Importance of Remediation and Workarounds: For those potentially affected, simply avoiding the song or applying an audio filter could serve as a workaround. This illustrates that sometimes, simple mitigations can be highly effective when a full patch isn’t feasible or available for older hardware.
What Can We Learn from CVE-2022-38392?
- Beyond the Code: Security professionals need to think beyond traditional coding flaws and consider the broader context of how technology interacts with its environment.
- Comprehensive Threat Modelling: When designing and implementing systems, it’s crucial to consider all potential interactions, including those that might seem unconventional or low probability.
- Documentation is Key: This vulnerability was initially an anecdote that gained traction through a Microsoft blog post. The formal assignment of a CVE highlights the importance of documenting even unusual vulnerabilities for awareness and historical record.
While the Rhythm Nation vulnerability may now be a quirky footnote in cybersecurity history, it’s a powerful reminder of how even the most unexpected factors—like sound waves—can impact our digital systems. It highlights the importance of staying vigilant and proactive in protecting your technology from all angles.
If you’re looking to strengthen your cybersecurity posture and safeguard your business against both conventional and unconventional threats, contact Modern Networks today for expert advice and tailored support.