Anti Wi Fi Paint

[Blueskies]

Anti-wi-fi paint offers security

DIGITAL PLANET
By Dave Lee
BBC World Service



With a quick lick of paint, your wi-fi connection could be secured
Researchers say they have created a special kind of paint which can block out wireless signals.

It means security-conscious wireless users could block their neighbours from being able to access their home network - without having to set up encryption.

The paint contains an aluminium-iron oxide which resonates at the same frequency as wi-fi - or other radio waves - meaning the airborne data is absorbed and blocked.

By coating an entire room, signals can't get in and, crucially, can't get out.

Developed at the University of Tokyo, the paint could cost as little as £10 per kilogram, researchers say.

Cost-effective security

The makers say that for businesses it's a quick and cheap way of preventing access to sensitive data from unauthorised users. Presently, most companies have to invest in complicated encryption software to deter hackers.

Speaking on the BBC World Service's Digital Planet programme, Shin-ichi Ohkoshi, who is leading the project, explained how the paint could have many uses beyond security.

"In a medical setting, you could transmit large volumes of data from a medical device, such as an endoscope, to a computer.


You could block phone signals from outside and stop people's phones ringing during the movie.

Shin-ichi Ohkoshi, University of Tokyo
"By painting a solution containing our magnetic particles on the walls, you would quickly, and effectively, shield the room from stray electromagnetic radiation from outside."

While paints blocking lower frequencies have been available for some time, Mr Ohkoshi's technology is the first to absorb frequencies transmitting at 100GHz (gigahertz). Signals carrying a larger amount of data - such as wireless internet - travel at a higher frequency than, for example, FM radio.

"I'm working on a material that can absorb a larger range of frequencies. We are capable of making a paint that can absorb over 200 gigahertz."

He hopes that soon the technology could be woven into clothing.

"We're not sure about the true effects of electromagnetic waves, in this range, on the human body.

"We're assuming that excessive exposure could be bad for us. Therefore we're trying to make protective clothes for young children or pregnant women to help protect their bodies from such waves."

At the movies

The paint could also provide some much-needed relief during nights out at the cinema.


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"Our current mobile phones work at much lower frequencies, around 1.5 gigahertz. But, our material can also absorb frequencies that low, so you could block phone signals from outside and stop people's phones ringing during the movie," he said.

As well as helping to keep the cinema quiet, the paint may also pave the way for higher quality screens.

"Movie pictures are beamed on the screen by the projector at the back of the cinema. But in the future, you could use a data link that works with millimetre waves.

"You would have problems with interference, unless you painted the wall and ceiling of the theatre with an absorbent material like ours.

"In fact, we've had an order from an American company keen to use our ink in its movie theatre - we've just sent them a sample."

'Nothing new'

Some security experts remain unconvinced by the paint.

"The use of electromagnetic shielding techniques are nothing new," said Mark Jackson, security engineer at Cisco UK. "They have been utilised by highly sensitive environments for many years."

Mr Jackson notes that while the paint may block eavesdroppers, it would not prevent other types of hackers or intruders.

"Paint that blocks RF based Wi-Fi transmissions does not in any way remove the need to ensure a robust security model is deployed," he added.

"Surely the thought of having to redecorate a building in order to provide Wi-Fi security is more costly & complex than security functionality available in even the cheapest of Wi-Fi access points?" he said.

[Blueskies]

The above article is for a new paint to block your neighbors from using your wi fi connection.....but what really interested me is the use on the outside of movie theaters to block cell phone signals. Agree this is a good idea or not? Would you paint your house with it?

[yulog]

I'll agree to paint my house with it , if you agree to paint your mouth with it ..........................

[Arianddu]

Personally, I'd like to paint some people's phones with it!

[Arianddu]

I'll agree to paint my house with it , if you agree to paint your mouth with it ..........................

Hey yulie, at least wait for her to fire off before you load the guns, willya?

[yulog]

I'll agree to paint my house with it , if you agree to paint your mouth with it ..........................

Hey yulie, at least wait for her to fire off before you load the guns, willya?

Didnt you see my emoticons? it doesn't count if you put the emoticons there.....someone use to say that all the time, i wonder who it was

[strangegrey]

I can see the application in Movie Theaters to block cell phone signals...but to prevent neighbors from grabbing your Wifi???

I'm sorry. Anyone who has a fairly run of the mill wireless router can do that, without the need to repaint his/her house. Simply go into your router settings and setup a security profile for your router. You can likely chose between 2-3 different security protocols, that will range from encrypted signals and password protection to IP validation to MAC address validation to a combination of the three.


I have a wireless network here at the house that uses WEP encryption in conjunction with MAC address validation. My laptop and my Wii are the only two things that get wifi access from that router...and there isn't a kid in my town out there that can both crack the encryption and spoof the mac address of my laptop.



I think the idea of shielding paint is a great idea for studio applications (there's alot of noise on my power lines that make recording high distortion electric guitars a pain in the ass)....but for protecting wifi, there's far better ways to go about doing it....

[Voyager]

It means security-conscious wireless users could block their neighbours from being able to access their home network - without having to set up encryption.

Yay! Now we can spend $400.00 on paint and spend three days painting our maintenance-free vinyl siding instead of spending three minutes to add a secure password to our wireless routers!

[Arianddu]

I can see the application in Movie Theaters to block cell phone signals...but to prevent neighbors from grabbing your Wifi???

I'm sorry. Anyone who has a fairly run of the mill wireless router can do that, without needed to repaint his/her house.

Not to mention, how many people will want a house you can't use a mobile phone in? Sounds like sloppy journalism to me, looking for a hook and picking a particularly dumb one.

[yulog]

It means security-conscious wireless users could block their neighbours from being able to access their home network - without having to set up encryption.

Yay! Now we can spend $400.00 on paint and spend three days painting our maintenance-free vinyl siding instead of spending three minutes to add a secure password to our wireless routers!

Dude your just talking crazy

[Sarah]

I have a wireless network here at the house that uses WEP encryption in conjunction with MAC address validation. My laptop and my Wii are the only two things that get wifi access from that router...and there isn't a kid in my town out there that can both crack the encryption and spoof the mac address of my laptop.

Well maybe no one in your town can spoo a MAC address, but WEP is trash in about 5 minutes with Aircrack. Switch to WPA2. I was reading an article today about how even WPA only takes a short time to crack these days.

Although I think the people who most have to worry about leechers are apartments...

[strangegrey]

Well maybe no one in your town can spoo a MAC address, but WEP is trash in about 5 minutes with Aircrack. Switch to WPA2. I was reading an article today about how even WPA only takes a short time to crack these days.

Although I think the people who most have to worry about leechers are apartments...

Actually, combined with the the MAC and IP address validation, there's very little need to.....and the more intensive encryption tends to drive down transmission speeds. But having said that, I actually just looked...and I am using WPA2.

[Don]

Everyone should use the MAC address validation with some type of encryption. Fuck the paint, that is just too much work, if you carry your laptop into a different room from your router, what then?