LightAntenna: Characterizing the Limits of Fluorescent Lamp-Induced Electromagnetic Interference
Fengchen Yang
Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium 2025 · Day 2 · Electromagnetic Attacks
This talk introduces **LightAntenna**, a novel and concerning electromagnetic interference (EMI) attack vector that leverages ubiquitous fluorescent lamps to inject malicious signals into nearby Internet of Things (IoT) devices and microphones. Presented by Yan Jang on behalf of the author, Dr. Fengchen Yang, this research delves into the previously unclarified underlying principles of how fluorescent lamps generate EMI and demonstrates their potential for targeted attacks. The work systematically characterizes the lamp's performance as an antenna, quantifies its impact, and explores its practical implications for sensor manipulation and voice command injection.
AI review
Solid novel research that turns a ubiquitous piece of infrastructure into a controlled attack surface — the plasma-as-antenna insight is genuinely clever and the empirical characterization (source localization, frequency sweep on ballasts, grid component analysis) shows real systematic work. Recognition rates on injected voice commands are high enough to matter in practice, and the industrial sensor manipulation demo is the kind of thing that makes ICS defenders pay attention.