VoltSchemer Attacks Can Melt Your Phone, but How Likely Is It?

It seems like something out of a science fiction film: scientists have found a technique to heat up wirelessly charging phones to 80C/176F by overcharging them. Is it likely that Voltschemer will truly cause your phone to explode?

How Does VoltSchemer Work?

A unique attack known as VoltSchemer may influence your phone’s wireless charger, as explained in the study VoltSchemer: Use Voltage Noise to Manipulate Your Wireless Charger [PDF]. An intruder may theoretically take advantage of the fact that your phone is resting on its charger to do targeted manipulation.

Depending on the malicious agent’s use, VoltSchemer may execute several assaults; however, the most concerning one is the potential to cause a smartphone to overheat. This may lead to the phone breaking, data loss, or even a serious fire hazard.

No criminals were involved in the invention or testing of VoltSchemer; it was researchers. As of this writing, no actual VoltSchemer attack has been detected. While wireless charging often won’t harm your phone, this does need a change to your power source.

What is the Function of VoltSchemer?

VoltSchemer is able to charge wireless devices by use of a modified power outlet that has been tampered with in order to alter the voltage it supplies. The objective is to adjust the voltage so that it generates “noise” that may disrupt your phone’s reception.

An unreliable channel for VoltSchemerWith VoltSchemer, You Can Control Your Wireless Charger by Using Voltage Noise\

Scientists accomplished several remarkable feats with this finding. First, they modified the voltage of the outlet such that a signal representing human speech could be sent to the phone’s microphone circuits via the charger’s magnetic field. The researchers were able to use this to their advantage by controlling a phone while it was charging without producing any audible sound.

Making electrical patterns mimic human speech with VoltSchemerWith VoltSchemer, You Can Control

Your Wireless Charger by Using Voltage Noise

• The Methods By Which Scientists Used VoltSchemer to Make Phones Overheat
• But the most terrifying “feature” of Voltschemer is that it can’t let the phone and wireless charger “speak” to each other. Your phone may update your wireless charger on its current charging status by sending little data packets, which it “knows” when the charging process is complete.

The phone controls the amount of power it receives from the charger and instructs it to stop charging when it’s full via End Power Transfer (EPT) packets. The problem is that the phone can’t communicate with the wireless charger because of the voltage manipulation assault.

A voltage signal with dual purposes was created by the researchers to achieve this. The first thing it did was prevent the phone from controlling its power consumption by blocking its CE and EPT packets. Secondly, the signal instructed the wireless charger to keep charging the phone by flooding it with packets.

In the assault test, the researchers had the phone charge all the way to its full capacity and then sent an EPT packet to signal that it had finished charging. This would be blocked by the voltage noise, which would instruct the charger to proceed. Consequently, the phone sat helplessly, pleading with the charger to cut off power while continuing to get a strong signal.

A VoltSchemer attack that causes a phone to overheatWith VoltSchemer, You Can Control Your Wireless Charger by Using Voltage Noise
A thermal camera captured a surface temperature of 179F/81C, indicating that the phone overheated due to the surplus electricity. The charging process persisted even after the phone shut down automatically as a result of overheating. Due to the phone’s heat potentially setting anything on fire or the battery bursting under the stress, the researchers speculated that this assault poses a fire danger. Yes, it is possible for smartphone batteries to explode if not handled properly.

VoltSchemer is Compatible with a Wide Range of Devices

Examples of harm caused by VoltSchemer VoltSchemer: Control Your Wireless Charger with Voltage Noise

Researchers tried charging several objects by putting them on the charger and pressing it to its full capacity after the phone. When paper clips become too hot, they might catch fire and ruin whatever papers were bound to them. The data on RFID-tagged passports was erased, and USB and SDD devices were damaged or lost data.

But key fobs were the most eye-catching casualties:

The internal battery temperature reached a critical point when power was transferred to a vehicle key fob that was put on the charging pad. So, it wasn’t just heat; the key fob broke. Rather, it went off, causing the gadget to explode and disintegrate.

This demonstrates that the VoltSchemer attack isn’t limited to phones; by maximising the charger’s power, the assault might potentially impact any electrical or metallic device.

Is an Attack by VoltSchemer Possible?

The idea that your phone may transform into a little explosive weapon is terrifying. A VoltSchemer assault is very improbable, but before you start to fear your wireless charger, consider these crucial aspects of the attack.

Electric Outlets with Changes

One thing to keep in mind is that VoltSchemer attacks cannot be executed remotely. For the assault to be successful, the perpetrator has to alter the power outlet so it produces the exact voltage needed. Therefore, in order for Voltschemer to function, the intruder has to physically access your house and swap out your plugs.

The Assailant Gains Nothing from It

The next issue is, given that someone is obviously committed enough to change a power outlet, why would they do it? VoltSchemer offers nothing to help the attacker and instead puts them at danger of being caught since it might cause your phone to become heated.