Researcher To Demonstrate Flaws In Wireless Warehouse Networks
Rob Havelt, practice manager for penetration testing at Trustwave's SpiderLabs unit, will demonstrate how easy it is to attack legacy 802.11 FHSS networks, which are often seen as inherently secure because so few off-the-shelf tools are available for remote eavesdropping.
The 802.11 FHSS technology has been outmoded in most wireless applications, but it is still commonly used in warehousing facilities because it works so well with inventory management equipment, such as handheld bar-code scanners and printers.
"Penetrating an 802.11 FHSS network is mistakenly believed to be financially and technologically out of reach for the common hacker, costing thousands of dollars and requiring a high skill set," Trustwave says. However, using easy-to-obtain tools, such as GNURadio and the USRP, Havelt will present code and techniques to penetrate such networks at a low cost, the company says.
