A drone-powered tool that uses WiFi networks to penetrate barriers has been created by a research team from the University of Waterloo.
The gadget, dubbed Wi-Peep, can fly close to a structure and then use the WiFi network of the occupants to quickly identify and locate any WiFi-enabled devices within.
The Wi-Peep takes advantage of what the researchers refer to as courteous WiFi. Smart devices will immediately react to contact attempts from any device in range, even if a network is password-protected.
The Wi-Peep uses many messages to communicate with a target device while it is in the air, measuring each message’s reaction time to determine the target device’s location to within a metre.
Dr. Ali Abedi, an adjunct professor of computer science at Waterloo, explains the significance of this discovery.
“The Wi-Peep devices are like lights in the visible spectrum, and the walls are like glass,” Abedi said. “Using similar technology, one could track the movements of security guards inside a bank by following the location of their phones or smartwatches. Likewise, a thief could identify the location and type of smart devices in a home, including security cameras, laptops, and smart TVs, to find a good candidate for a break-in. In addition, the device’s operation via drone means that it can be used quickly and remotely without much chance of the user being detected.”
On a fundamental level, we need to fix the Polite WiFi loophole so that our devices do not respond to strangers. We hope our work will inform the design of next-generation protocols.
Dr. Ali Abedi
The Wi-Peep is unique because to its accessibility and portability, even though scientists have previously investigated WiFi security vulnerabilities using large, expensive devices. It was created by Abedi’s team utilizing a drone that was purchased at a store and $20 worth of cheap components.
“As soon as the Polite WiFi loophole was discovered, we realized this kind of attack was possible,” Abedi said.
In order to prove their theory, the team developed the Wi-Peep, but they soon recognized that anyone with the necessary skills could make a similar gadget just as simply.
“On a fundamental level, we need to fix the Polite WiFi loophole so that our devices do not respond to strangers,” Abedi said. “We hope our work will inform the design of next-generation protocols.”
The Wi-computations Peep’s will become outrageously wrong as a result of his request for WiFi chip manufacturers to add an artificial, randomized variance in device response time.
Non-cooperative wi-fi localisation & its privacy implications, the paper describing this research, was presented at the 28th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking.
