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Cyber Worries Go Beyond Wi-Fi

Software-defined radio and machine learning team up to assess risk of the growing Internet of radios.

Mike Engle of Bastille Networks, the winner of AFCEA DC Chapter’s shark tank, shows how everyday devices, such as remote controls, used at home or in business or government, could provide access points for hackers. Phoot Credit: Michael Carpenter

Many cybersecurity methods and products are available to protect wireless networks from intrusion, but security concerns go well beyond the risks to Wi-Fi. The combination of legacy wireless systems and Internet of Things vulnerabilities number in the hundreds, and all radio frequency protocols are at risk.

The winner of the AFCEA DC Chapter’s shark tank competition, Bastille Networks, addresses the concern of radio frequency emissions for the Internet of radio. Mike Engle, company co-founder and vice president of business development, showed a sensor array that can be deployed in a ceiling above an area that needs to be monitored. The sensors have software-defined radios and report into a cloud-based analytics platform to provide visibility and analytics.

Everything from a set-top box on a television, to a microphone in a board room to a wireless mouse is at risk from hacking, Engle says, adding that the number of these attacks is increasing as new technology becomes available.

Bastille provides visibility into every emitter in environment, not only cell phones, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, according to Engle. The sensors can operate with hundreds of wireless protocols that cannot be seen otherwise, Engle says. The deployment is currently a fixed installation; however a mobile version is being developed.

The finalists chosen for the shark tank competition from earlier competitions were Mojo Networks, Akamai, NormShield, Bastille and Qnexis. Bastille was chosen by audience votes.

To see all of the shark tank technologies including the final competition, visit CyberSecuritytv.net.

AFCEA International's Small Business Innovation Summit on May 1 will follow many of the approaches used in the cyber shark tank, but it will be open to a broad range of innovative technologies. The companies participating in the Innovation Summit will be small businesses that are AFCEA member companies. For more information, contact Katie Helwig, 703-631-6170.