Re: Ben-Gurion University
This isn't to get at data on the PC concerned -- it is to get at information that PC handles in the future.
Sometimes compromising is easy (evil maid attack is the easiest, but there are many other attacks such as social engineering, or sending in fake "maintenance" people) but what you are interested in is a feed of whatever the device is monitoring. That is what this research is about.
I'm not saying these techniques are common, or even that this particular one is useful, but they are important. When you need them, you really need them (or need to prevent them).
Don't forget who these guys are. Read the Wikipedia article on Stuxnet if you have forgotten how important seemingly innocuous air-gapped control systems can be.