The article implies that USB drives are the attack vector. Once infected they may use inaudible frequencies to transmit data to other infected machines. The vast majority of "ElCheapo" audio hardware can record and reproduce audio in these frequencies. Test it if you don't believe me. Most drop off around 21kHz, which allows for reliable but very low bandwidth data transmission. Several companies use this technology for analytics and context-specific advertisement on mobile devices.

Working with this tech is *literally* my job. The speakers in a common laptop or smartphone can reliably create signals up to 21kHz. Likewise, the microphones found on these devices can hear frequencies in this range. The modulation schemes for inaudible data over audio hardware are limited, but they exist and work pretty damn well.

You sound like a fucking creationist in your denial that this tech could be real. The very tech that pays my salary. And how long would it take to download that movie? About 11.5 years assuming an optimistic bandwidth of 1000bps and a file that's 700MB with no bad packets, you insensitive clod.

It doesn't take special hardware. Several companies use this tech. See Yamaha Infosound, Sonic Notify, and LISNR.