Researchers found a way to spy on your browsing by watching your SSD's activity
Researchers have discovered a new method to spy on browsing activity by monitoring the timing behavior of solid-state drives. This technique, known as FROST, uses JavaScript to interact with the Origin Private File System and can determine which other sites and applications are active on the device. The attack works by creating a large file and repeatedly reading from it, recording the time each operation takes and forming recognizable patterns over time.
- ▪The FROST side-channel attack exploits the timing behavior of solid-state drives to detect background apps and user behavior.
- ▪The method uses JavaScript to interact with the Origin Private File System and can work across different browsers.
- ▪The attack requires generating a large file, likely at least one gigabyte, and depends on the monitored activity occurring on the same physical SSD.
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Security Hardware ssd spying Researchers found a way to spy on your browsing by watching your SSD's activity The FROST side-channel attack turns storage requests into a tool for detecting background apps, open tabs, and user behavior By Skye Jacobs May 28, 2026, 13:46 Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Looking ahead: A research team in Austria has identified a new way for websites to quietly observe what users are doing on their devices using nothing more than a browser and faint signals from the machine's own hardware. The technique does not rely on cookies, click-tracking scripts, or the fingerprinting methods that have become familiar over the years. Instead, it exploits the timing behavior of solid-state drives.
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