Most WiFi-related projects take an active stance, whether trying to discover their password, attacking the router in some way, or looking to intercept connected devices. However, a team of researchers from the universities of Chicago and California (Santa Barbara) presented a study that explores the passive use of WiFi to calculate our actions within a property. In other words, WiFi as a motion sensor.
We are surrounded by WiFi signals. Squares, offices, transportation, shopping centers, and our own homes are flooded with routers and access points competing for a small "space" on each channel. In the past we have explored basic security concepts like changing the password, or attacks that could compromise its integrity, but today we look at WiFi from a different position, as it carries the potential to affect another type of security: Ours.
A group of researchers from the universities of Chicago and California (Santa Barbara) explored the possibility of using WiFi networks as motion sensors and calculating the approximate position of a person within a room. The idea of using WiFi to "see behind walls" is not exactly new, but this technique stands out for its apparent simplicity.
The would-be attacker doesn't need to interfere with routers or smartphones, but rather study closely the ambient signals of already connected devices and measure their variables. For example, if someone walks near an access point, they slightly interfere with the propagation of its signal. With the use of receivers (sniffers), such interference could be recorded, added to the detail that most building materials do not block the propagation of WiFi signals.
https://old.neoteo.com/conoce-al-misterioso-canal-14-de-wifi-y-por-que-no-puedes-usarlo/Obviously, there are many other detection and surveillance methods that are more practical (after all, a directional microphone fits in a bag), but if WiFi becomes a security weak point that goes beyond connectivity, then it is likely that certain more demanding environments should make adjustments. One possibility would be to reduce the WiFi signal power. Some routers already allow this, as well as those with alternative firmware.
Access the study: Click here
Source: Hackaday
