Impact of IEMI pulses on a barometric sensor

Abstract

Sensors have become a vital part of all kinds of electronic applications in recent years and many devices rely on the information provided by them. This makes their potential vulnerability to Intentional Electromagnetic Interference (IEMI) an issue of growing importance. The aim of this paper was to investigate the impact of IEMI using the example of a barometric pressure sensor with privileged access to the hardware and software to pursue a deep analysis of the effects of IEMI attacks using continuous wave and pulse modulated signals. Measurements were carried out in a shielded hall using an open TEM (Transverse Electromagnetic) waveguide in the 100 MHz-7.5 GHz frequency range. A variety of effects was observed and significant differences were found with pulse modulated signals compared to continuous wave signals. These results indicate weak points in the sensor hardware which causes serious vulnerabilities of devices relying on them. Further research with other similar sensors will allow to generalize the results and to derive possible hardening measures.