SERIOUS SECURITY Question: Can headphones run malware/viruses???

Hi all,

I know this may sound like a strange question, but I've been Googling this all night and it definitely seems like it's possible for headphones to transmit viruses...

My question is: Is it possible for headphones that use the 3.5mm headphone jack connection to transmit viruses/malware?

Obviously, there seems like a big risk in using USB headphones because USB ports are very popular for transferring data, but what about the 3.5mm headphone jack?

Thank you.

No data flows through the 3.5mm headphone jack, only analog audio signals. Therefore, I would say it would be impossible to infect a computer through the 3.5mm headphone jack.

NavyLCDR said:

No data flows through the 3.5mm headphone jack, only analog audio signals. Therefore, I would say it would be impossible to infect a computer through the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Thanks for your reply.

I forgot to mention that I'm not referring to wireless headphones as wireless headphones seem like an even bigger risk for the transfer of malware/viruses.

I'm only interested in wired headphones.

I'm currently reading this: Malware: Can Headphones Have or Transmit Viruses? | SoundGearLab

NiceAndShy said:

Thanks for your reply.

I forgot to mention that I'm not referring to wireless headphones as wireless headphones seem like an even bigger risk for the transfer of malware/viruses.

I'm only interested in wired headphones.

I'm currently reading this: Malware: Can Headphones Have or Transmit Viruses? | SoundGearLab

Same answer.

NavyLCDR said:

Same answer.

Thanks for your reply.

I'm still reading through the article.

Is there any other information I can look at to be 100% certain that viruses or any data at all can be transferred using the 3.5mm audio port?

NiceAndShy said:

Thanks for your reply.

I'm still reading through the article.

Is there any other information I can look at to be 100% certain that viruses or any data at all can be transferred using the 3.5mm audio port?

None that will satisfy you.

flashh4 said:

NavyLCDR, gave you the correct answer to your question ! We had this come up in Malware School and the answer was "NO" !

Thank you for your reply!

I've just spent some time Googling "Malware School" but nothing came up... It sounds like something significant that I need to look into. Can you explain further please?

Probably this one

Majulook said:

Probably this one

Wow, really? I've never seen this website before...

I'm currently reading this thread and it seems helpful: virus - Can headphones transmit malware? - Information Security Stack Exchange