Posts Tagged ‘electronic countermeasures’

Anti-wi-fi paint offers security

By MSI in Debugging - Electronic Countermeasures at October 5th, 2009 | No comments

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8279549.stm

DIGITAL PLANET
By Dave Lee
BBC World Service

With a quick lick of paint, your wi-fi connection could be secured
Researchers say they have created a special kind of paint which can block out wireless signals.
It means security-conscious wireless users could block their neighbours from being able to access their home network - without having to set up encryption.
The paint contains an aluminium-iron oxide which resonates at the same frequency as wi-fi - or other radio waves - meaning the airborne data is absorbed and blocked.
By coating an entire room, signals can’t get in and, crucially, can’t get out.
Developed at the University of Tokyo, the paint could cost as little as £10 per kilogram, researchers say.
Cost-effective security
The makers say that for businesses it’s a quick and cheap way of preventing access to sensitive data from unauthorised users. Presently, most companies have to invest in complicated encryption software to deter hackers.
Speaking on the BBC World Service’s Digital Planet programme, Shin-ichi Ohkoshi, who is leading the project, explained how the paint could have many uses beyond security.
“In a medical setting, you could transmit large volumes of data from a medical device, such as an endoscope, to a computer.

You could block phone signals from outside and stop people’s phones ringing during the movie.
Shin-ichi Ohkoshi, University of Tokyo
“By painting a solution containing our magnetic particles on the walls, you would quickly, and effectively, shield the room from stray electromagnetic radiation from outside.”
While paints blocking lower frequencies have been available for some time, Mr Ohkoshi’s technology is the first to absorb frequencies transmitting at 100GHz (gigahertz). Signals carrying a larger amount of data - such as wireless internet - travel at a higher frequency than, for example, FM radio.
“I’m working on a material that can absorb a larger range of frequencies. We are capable of making a paint that can absorb over 200 gigahertz.”
He hopes that soon the technology could be woven into clothing.
“We’re not sure about the true effects of electromagnetic waves, in this range, on the human body.
“We’re assuming that excessive exposure could be bad for us. Therefore we’re trying to make protective clothes for young children or pregnant women to help protect their bodies from such waves.”
At the movies
The paint could also provide some much-needed relief during nights out at the cinema.

DIGITAL PLANET
Digital Planet is the weekly technology programme broadcast from the BBC World Service
It is broadcast on Tuesday at 1232GMT and repeated at 1632GMT, 2032GMT and on Wednesday at 0032GMT
It is also available as a podcast
It can be found on the social networks Facebook and Orkut
“Our current mobile phones work at much lower frequencies, around 1.5 gigahertz. But, our material can also absorb frequencies that low, so you could block phone signals from outside and stop people’s phones ringing during the movie,” he said.
As well as helping to keep the cinema quiet, the paint may also pave the way for higher quality screens.
“Movie pictures are beamed on the screen by the projector at the back of the cinema. But in the future, you could use a data link that works with millimetre waves.
“You would have problems with interference, unless you painted the wall and ceiling of the theatre with an absorbent material like ours.
“In fact, we’ve had an order from an American company keen to use our ink in its movie theatre - we’ve just sent them a sample.”
‘Nothing new’
Some security experts remain unconvinced by the paint.
“The use of electromagnetic shielding techniques are nothing new,” said Mark Jackson, security engineer at Cisco UK. “They have been utilised by highly sensitive environments for many years.”
Mr Jackson notes that while the paint may block eavesdroppers, it would not prevent other types of hackers or intruders.
“Paint that blocks RF based Wi-Fi transmissions does not in any way remove the need to ensure a robust security model is deployed,” he added.
“Surely the thought of having to redecorate a building in order to provide Wi-Fi security is more costly & complex than security functionality available in even the cheapest of Wi-Fi access points?” he said.

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Debugging - Electronic Countermeasures

By MSI in Debugging - Electronic Countermeasures at June 1st, 2009 | No comments

Myers Service, Inc. - MSI Detective Services provides professional debugging, electronic countermeasures, bug and tap sweeps to businesses, private parties, governmental agencies and law firms. Our specially trained technicians use state of the art equipment to provide the best and most thorough debugging sweeps in the Chicagoland area. Our clients include Local, State and Federal governmental agencies, Fortune 500 Corporations as well as private individuals, Law Firms and Small Businesses. Our tools include Spectrum Analyzers, Non-Linear Junction Detectors, RF Detectors, Carrier Current Detectors, Time Domain Reflectometers as well as other tools of the trade.

Bug and Tap has changed over recent years.  New methods of listening in including using the computer and internet, cell phones and other methods as an easy and effective way to eavesdrop on unsuspecting parties.  State and Federal laws have responded by broadening the laws and making stiffer penalties for eavesdropping.  The courts are still scrambling to better define what is and what is not legal.  Since we are not lawyers, we cannot tell you what is legal and illegal as counsel.  We can describe to you our understanding of the laws and what we believe is right and wrong.

We get calls daily from clients who believe their cell phones are tapped or people who want to tap a cell phone.  Tapping any phone is illegal unless you advise the parties speaking that the conversation is being recorded.  There are exceptions to the case such as in states where the Federal Law of one party consent exists.  In Illinois for instance, All Parties must be notified and must consent of any conversation that is being recorded.  Exceptions to this include recent case that that allows you to record a conversation for what is called “Enhanced Note Taking”.

I personally had attempted to bring charges against a suspect who tapped our conversation without my consent.  I was interrogating him for suspected employee theft when I heard a beeping coming from his brief case in a small Southern Cook County Suburb.  I asked the suspect what the noise was and noticed that his face became very nervous.  Being a trained interrogator, the uneasiness suggested that he was doing something that he knew was wrong.  Especially since I had earlier requested his permission to record our conversation which he denied.  I asked him if there was a recorder in his brief case to which he admitted.  He then asked my permission to record the conversation.  The gall!!! I said no and excused myself from the room.  My client and I agreed that this person was most likely a thief but was definitely an eavesdropper so we called the local police.

Everyone including the police, the lawyers, myself, my client (who worked in loss prevention) all thought the crime was clear as day.  Illinois law clearly says all party consent.  But when the court date rolled around, his lawyer had done research and found case law that countered this.  The case law states that if you are using the recording for your own personal note taking purposes, then there is no crime.  For instance, you are talking to someone but do not want to write, cannot write or just want more accurate notes of the conversation.  As long as these recording are not played for other parties, duplicated, published or otherwise made public, then there is no crime.

Since my suspect never had time to play the tape for anyone (nor would I likely ever find out if he did), there was no crime and the charges were dropped.  So to end the story, the employee was terminated but we never pinned the theft case on him.  Although we did do a background check, something the client never did before hiring, and found numerous theft and other criminal convictions in his past.  Had the client contacted us before hiring, he would never have had the opportunity to steal in the first place.

It’s best to consult with a lawyer who is knowledgeable in the area of law.  That will prove hard to find since there are not many cases in the courts yet.  Although the number is growing with the number of products out there growing by the day.  Check out this link to see what is available: http://www.uspystore.com/audio-surveillance.html

There are many websites out there that keep track of the changing laws in each state.  Florida and Illinois for instance, are what is called All Party Consent States.  This means all parties involved in a conversation must consent to the recording.  Indiana and Wisconsin are One Party Consent States.  This means that if one or more persons who consent to have a conversation recorded (this can mean you giving permission if you are involved in the conversation), then there is no crime.  There are additional things to consider such as not recording the conversation for criminal purposes.  Here is a good website to check on the ever changing state laws: http://www.rcfp.org/taping/states.html

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