High-Energy Radio Frequency Weapon

What Does High-Energy Radio Frequency Weapon Mean?

A high-energy radio frequency weapon (HERF) is a directed-energy weapon used to disrupt digital equipment, such as computers. HERF works by blasting high-intensity radio waves at electronics, disrupting their operation.

Advertisements

A HERF is slso known as a HERF gun.

Techopedia Explains High-Energy Radio Frequency Weapon

A HERF blast is a highly concentrated blast of electromagnetic radiation that can completely erase a hard disk, crash the PC or even fuse the silicon barriers on the chips, rendering the computer useless. However, in most cases, a HERF gun does not permanently damage a computer.

The majority of electrical appliances are at risk of this type of attack, although most electronic equipment in airplanes and other military vehicles is resistant to it.

Advertisements

Related Terms

Latest Cybersecurity Terms

Related Reading

Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…