- Aug 6, 2012
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Never trusted wifi but it is just too convenient.
www.thestar.com
A half-pound drone bought at Best Buy and $20 of hardware put together by a team of University of Waterloo researchers has proven to have Superman-like powers.
Nicknamed Wi-Peep, the device can “see” through walls, surreptitiously identifying the locations of smart watches, phones, laptops and the like, with speed and accuracy.
And while it seems like a bit of superhero fun, the worry is that it could get into the wrong hands: a person casing homes for a jackpot of electronic devices or tracking the movement of cellphone-carrying security guards inside a bank.
“There’s a loophole in Wi-Fi devices, and sooner or later people may start using this for dark purposes,” said Ali Abedi, a professor with Waterloo’s School of Computer Science, and the lead researcher on a new study into privacy and Wi-Fi localization. “So our goal is to characterize what can go wrong and try to come up with solutions.”
Abedi first discovered the loop
Waterloo researchers make device that can ‘see’ through walls. What does it mean for your privacy?
Device exploits Wi-Fi loophole to look through walls surreptitiously and locate your smartphone or laptop. Should we be concerned?
www.thestar.com
A half-pound drone bought at Best Buy and $20 of hardware put together by a team of University of Waterloo researchers has proven to have Superman-like powers.
Nicknamed Wi-Peep, the device can “see” through walls, surreptitiously identifying the locations of smart watches, phones, laptops and the like, with speed and accuracy.
And while it seems like a bit of superhero fun, the worry is that it could get into the wrong hands: a person casing homes for a jackpot of electronic devices or tracking the movement of cellphone-carrying security guards inside a bank.
“There’s a loophole in Wi-Fi devices, and sooner or later people may start using this for dark purposes,” said Ali Abedi, a professor with Waterloo’s School of Computer Science, and the lead researcher on a new study into privacy and Wi-Fi localization. “So our goal is to characterize what can go wrong and try to come up with solutions.”
Abedi first discovered the loop
