“If you build it, they will come.” This popular adage from the 1989 classic, Field of Dreams, remains relevant today across a variety of industries – including wireless technology. For example, if you create a new communication medium for transmitting information and sensitive data over the air, groups of skilled experts will quickly form to explore the new channel for vulnerabilities that criminal hackers might exploit.
Ryan Orsi, director of strategic alliances and Wi-Fi expert at WatchGuard, just published a new Help Net Security article that dives deep into this natural hacking progression as it applies Wi-Fi, and how it might extend to other protocols. The story covers what types of wireless communication methods cyber criminals will target next and why. For most potential attack vectors, cyber criminals choose to wait for widespread usage and of course, the potential for sizeable payouts.
For a peek at what protocols wireless hackers will focus on next, here’s a quick sample from Ryan’s article:
Zigbee – “Present in smart alarm systems, lighting controls and other connected gadgets, Zigbee is one of the more popular wireless communication standards out there. It’s easy to find new tutorials online that teach users how to leverage SDRs to intercept Zigbee communication signals and replay them back to the IoT devices in order to gain physical or remote access.”
Bluetooth – “Consider the type of valuable information transmitted on popular Bluetooth-enabled devices like keyboards, mobile phones, medical devices, cars or conference phones. Several Bluetooth hacking projects have already begun and the market is seeing increased traction. For example, Armis Labs recently exposed BlueBorne, an attack vector that allows bad actors to take control of devices and networks and spread malware to nearby devices.”
To learn which four wireless protocols hackers will emerge from the proverbial cornfield to target next after Wi-Fi, check out the full story on Help Net Security. And, find out which Wi-Fi hacking threats Ryan is warning spring break travelers to watch out for here on Secplicity.