A discussion of the issues relating to wireless security always begins with the fact that radio waves seem to propagate everywhere - subject to various forms of natural, and, as we'll see below, synthetic fading. All a hacker has to do is receive a signal of interest, and, assuming no encryption, off they go. Note that reception in this case is passive; the sender has no knowledge of the interception. If the signal is encrypted, well, decryption might be quite a job, but there is regardless no such thing as absolute security. Since you can't keep radio signals from going where they're going to go, though, wireless security is always going to be a challenge.
Or is it? A company called EMSEC has developed a paint - yes, you heard that right, a water-based, non-toxic, environmentally-friendly (or so they claim) paint that decreases the signal strength wireless signals between 30 MHz. and 18 GHz. by an average of 60 dB. Even if you're not an engineer, that's an amazing result, and enough to render most signals unusable. Paint a room with this stuff, and nothing (OK, very little) gets in or out.
There's a small issue with windows and gaps around doors, but there are products for those applications as well, in the form of window films and RF-resistant weather-stripping. Ditto for electrical outlets (which may require additional electronic filtering) and vents. But the paint idea is cool even though EMSEC's version needs to be professionally applied to get the right thickness and comes in only one color - sand buff. But feel free to paint over it in your choice of colors once it dries. Oh, yes, assume a cost-to-solution of about $6 per square foot - but this could be very cheap, especially for those of you who care about such matters as Tempest (unofficial copy here).
The company tells me they are planning to build a demo facility not far from my office, so I'm looking forward to measuring what this stuff can do. While there are other RF-shielding paints on the market, I'm not planning a comparison test just yet. And finally, stay tuned for other exciting developments in the RF security area. Just as the threats will never end, it seems like potential solutions will follow suit.
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Mathias is a principal at Farpoint Group, a wireless advisory firm in Ashland, Mass.
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Wireless shielding paint
Nothing new here! LBA has been using shielding paint to protect labs and other spaces for universities, industrial, telecommunications, and military customers for at least 25 years. It works very well, although the costs are somewhat greater than the press release optimistically estimates it to be.
Paint won't do the job alone, it is only a component of a system. HVAC filters, power and telecom filters, architectural changes to spaces, and things like testing, RF tight doors and windows all run the cost up significantly. There are a number of shielding media beside paint, and our experience is that the designs LBA does incorporates several shielding approaches, in conjunction with architectural design to deliver a predictable and maintainable shielded space.
There are significant shielding resources on http://www.lbagroup.com or contact us at 800-522-4464.
Lawrence Behr