-: We just spent a lot of time talking
about wireless networks, but there are other
wireless networks out there besides Wi-Fi.
These include things like Bluetooth,
RFID, Near Field Communication, cellular,
GPS, and satellite communications.
Previously, we've talked about
some vulnerabilities with Bluetooth.
I want to remind you of two big terms
when it comes to Bluetooth.
This is bluejacking and bluesnarfing.
I'm covering these again because I guarantee
you're going to get at least one question
on test day about either bluejacking or bluesnarfing.
CompTIA really loves to ask that for some reason.
Bluejacking is the sending of unsolicited
messages to Bluetooth-enabled devices
such as mobile phones and tablets.
Bluesnarfing, on the other hand,
is the unauthorized access of information
from a wireless device through a Bluetooth connection.
So, to simplify this for the exam,
I want you to remember this.
Bluejacking sends information to a device
where Bluesnarfing takes information from a device.
If you remember those two things,
you'll do great on the exam.
Also, when it comes to Bluetooth,
remember you don't want to allow your device
to use the default PIN
for its pairing operations.
You should always change the PIN
to something more secure than 1234 or 0000.
Next, we have Radio Frequency Identification or RFID.
RFID devices have an embedded radio frequency
signal that's used to transmit identifying
information about the device or the token
to a reader that's trying to pick it up.
RFID refers to a large category
of devices and technologies,
but, for the exam, the specifics of RFID
are not that important.
Instead, you need to focus on the fact
that RFID devices can send information
from a card to a reader to provide
authentication or identification.
For example, one of the most common devices
that we use RFID for is a card
that looks like a credit card,
and can be used as part of your alarm system
or door access system.
So, with these cards, you can swipe your card
over the reader, and it identifies you
and allows you to enter the building.
Because there are so many different types
of RFID devices, RFID can operate
in either very close environments
or very far environments.
It can be as close as 10 centimeters
from the reader or as high as 200 meters
from the reader, depending on the particular
device and technology in use.
Because of that large distance,
RFID is subject to eavesdropping,
the ability to capture, replay, and rebroadcast
its radio frequency as part of a larger attack.
To minimize the ability to eavesdrop
on RFID, an idea called
Near Field Communication was invented.
Near Field Communication or NFC allows
two devices to transmits information
when they're in close proximity to each other.
This occurs using an automated pairing process
and transmission process of that data.
For example, some cellphones have the ability
where you can touch the cellphones together
to pass photographs back and forth.
Other uses of NFC are commonplace in payment systems.
For example, I have an iPhone,
and I can hold it over a credit card terminal
to pay with my credit card that's linked
through Apple Pay.
This is an example of a Near Field Communication device.
Just like RFID, we do have to worry
about the possibility of interception
of that wireless information, though,
because it could be replayed and rebroadcast.
Now, luckily for us, NFC does
require the devices to be very close
for the communication to work.
Now, exactly how close do
these devices need to be?
Well, for NFC devices, this is usually
within four centimeters for the pairing
and transmission to occur, making
the risk of interception fairly low.
Now, there's a few other types
of wireless communication out there.
For example, your cellphone uses cellular data
networks as part of its communication.
This might be 2G, 3G, 4G or even LTE.
All of these are a type of wireless network.
As I said before, your employer should use
cellular over wireless whenever possible
because cellular is a point-to-point connection
between your device and the cellphone tower.
Yes, there are some devices out there
that can intercept cellphone signals,
but these are usually mostly by law enforcement
and government organizations
and not your typical hackers.
Another wireless network that's out there is GPS,
the Global Positioning System.
We discussed the concepts of geolocation,
geotagging, and geofencing before,
so I'm not going to talk about those now.
This time, I want to focus on GPS
from the vulnerability that system has
if your organization relies upon it.
For example, if you use GPS as a way
for you to know where all of your devices are
and how your devices are going to drive
around a parking lot,
you need to worry a little bit
because GPS relies on your device
being able to receive a GPS signal
from three of 24 satellites
that are orbiting around the planet.
Your device then uses that information
to calculate your position.
This signal, though, is very weak
as it transmits all the way down
from the satellite down to Earth.
If a malicious attacker wanted to disrupt
that communication, it doesn't take very much
power to jam the GPS signal.
Therefore, if your organization relies
upon GPS, you need to design your IT systems
to not rely solely on GPS,
but instead, have some sort of back up function
especially if you're using it for critical
navigation or other functions.
The best way to secure this particular
vulnerability is to have redundancy in place.
Our final type of communication network
we need to discuss is satellite communication.
Satellite communication is used
for long-distance communicating
over large distances in areas
that other networks may not be around.
You may use this to connect to viewer networks
or connect yourself to the Internet.
Satellite is heavily used in areas
that other normal communication networks
simply can't reach.
For example, if you're the adventurous type
and you're climbing a mountain
in a remote area of the world,
it's unlikely that they have a fiber optic cable
or cellphone service up there.
But you could bring a satellite phone
with you and you could still remain connected
and be able to reach back to the ground stations,
in case an emergency happens.
Another area that satellites are commonly
used for is for merchant mariners.
As they're traveling around the oceans,
they don't have any fiber optic lines
in the middle of the Pacific,
and so, they have to use satellite
as a way to reach back to shore.
For most of us, though, we're not going to
be relying on satellite communications.
If your organization does have a particular need
that can't be met by other methods,
satellite is something
that you could consider, though.
Satellite, like other wireless communication
networks, is subject to interference,
jamming, and interception of data
because it's being transmitted over the air.
For this reason, you always want to
encrypt your data whenever you're traveling
over any wireless network
including satellite communications.