Archives: Resources

Wireless Airspace Defense Firm Bastille Reveals Top Threats of 2025

State-sponsored attacks, consumer surveillance devices, and vulnerabilities in wireless standards pose significant risks to national security and businesses

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE), March 11, 2025 – Bastille, the leading provider of wireless airspace defense solutions, today released its comprehensive report on “Top Wireless-Enabled Threats in 2025,” revealing seven major threats that could significantly impact government operations, critical infrastructure, and corporate security.

The report, which analyzed emerging wireless security risks and their potential consequences, found that wireless-enabled threats have evolved to become one of the greatest risks to governments, global business, and critical infrastructure. The Nearest Neighbor Attack, first disclosed in late November 2024, demonstrates how state-sponsored bad actors weaponize internet-connected wireless devices to hack systems previously thought secure.

Key findings include the rise of state-sponsored attacks against business, the deployment of consumer-grade surveillance devices to spy within commercial facilities, and critical vulnerabilities in widely used wireless standards.

  1. Bastille’s research team identified the following top wireless-enabled threats for 2025:“Nearest Neighbor Attack” from APT-28
  2. Typhoon APT Threat Groups
  3. Pegasus, Predator, and APT-29 Cellphone Spyware
  4. Low-Cost Consumer Spy Devices in Corporate Espionage
  5. Chinese-Built Wi-Fi Routers Spy on Homes & Businesses
  6. WPA-2 Weaknesses
  7. Wireless Earbuds (Bluetooth) as an Espionage Vector

“The wireless landscape is all around us at all times, and with it comes a new attack surface with critical security challenges,”

said Chris Risley, CEO of Bastille.

“Our 2025 Report sheds light on these emerging threats and provides actionable strategies for enterprises to protect their assets and data in an increasingly complex threat landscape.”

The report emphasizes the urgent need for organizations to monitor their wireless security and implement robust protection measures. It also provides detailed mitigation strategies for each identified threat, offering valuable insights for cybersecurity professionals, policymakers, and business leaders.

Dr. Brett Walkenhorst, CTO of Bastille, added, “As wireless technologies continue to advance, so do the methods employed by malicious actors. It’s crucial for organizations to stay ahead of these threats by adopting proactive security measures and leveraging cutting-edge technologies to safeguard their wireless ecosystems.”

For the complete “Top Wireless-Enabled Threats in 2025” report and detailed mitigation strategies, visit: https://bastille.net/research/top-wireless-threats-2025-report.

About Bastille

Bastille is the leader in wireless threat intelligence through software-defined radio. Bastille enables enterprise security teams to assess and mitigate the risk associated with the growing number of Cellular, RF and Wireless threats.

Bastille’s patented software and security sensors bring visibility to devices emitting radio signals (Wi-Fi, Cellular, Bluetooth, BLE, and other IoT communications) in your organization’s airspace.

Through its software-defined radio, AI, and machine learning technology, Bastille senses, identifies and localizes threats, providing security teams the ability to accurately quantify risk and mitigate airborne threats that could pose a danger to sensitive information and network infrastructure.

Data Center Security: Mitigating Wireless Threats & Threats From Unknown Assets

Attacks and attackers are growing more sophisticated, using advanced wireless techniques and breaching exposures in unknown assets.

Learn more about these attacks in this latest webinar from Bastille and Sevco. We’ll explore the latest in sophisticated threats to data centers from wireless attacks and how those converge with threats from unknown and potentially exposed assets in increasingly complex attack surfaces to threaten organizations.

But there are steps you can take to defend against these threats, and we’ll break down the latest strategies organizations can use to protect themselves.
In this webinar we’ll see:

  • Breakdowns of real-life attacks detected by Bastille, including the Evil Twin and Nearest Neighbor attacks
  • How increasingly complex attack surfaces can leave unknown assets exposed to attackers
  • Live hacking demonstrations of cloud assets and security cameras
  • Strategies you can use to detect and mitigate against these threats

Our Presenters

Brett Walkenhorst, Ph.D., CTO

Brett leads the R&D efforts at Bastille. He was formerly with Raytheon Technologies, Silvus Technologies, NSI-MI Technologies, GTRI, and Lucent Bell Labs leading and conducting research in various RF topics.

Brian Contos, Advisor

Brian has worked in security for over thirty years, starting with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and Bell Labs. He has worked across six continents in over 60 countries; he has had two IPOs, eight acquisitions, two books, and one documentary.

Airspace Defense Analytics Module

Webinar - Bastille Product Updates: Airspace Defense Analytics Module - Jan 30 2025

Wireless threats are growing rapidly, leaving enterprise environments increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated attacks.

Hosted by Dr. Brett Walkenhorst, CTO, and Rahul Nagraj, Director of Engineering, this session provides you with essential updates on the latest advancements in wireless airspace defense.

This session includes a live demonstration of the latest Bastille’s Wireless Airspace Defense capabilities in action.

What You’ll Learn

  • Insights into evolving wireless vulnerabilities, including Evil Twin attacks, hotspot data exfiltration, and the Nearest Neighbour Attack.
  • How Bastille’s patented technologies—Massive Multi-Channel Demodulation (M2CD) and Cellular Detection & Localization (CD&L)—enhance visibility and response to wireless threats.
  • Strategies to mitigate risks posed by unmanaged devices, insider threats, and shadow IT.
  • Real-world examples of wireless threats and how to address them effectively.

Live Demonstration

The webinar will feature a real-time demonstration of Bastille’s Wireless Airspace Defense solutions.

See how Bastille detects, localizes, and mitigates risks, including how it protects against threats like the Nearest Neighbour Attack, which exploits dual-homed devices to infiltrate networks from adjacent locations.

Who Should Attend

This session is tailored for cybersecurity professionals, IT managers, and security architects seeking effective strategies to address wireless security challenge

Wireless Airspace Defense


This solution brief highlights the growing risks of wireless threats to enterprises, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring and comprehensive security measures to protect against unauthorized access, data breaches, and device vulnerabilities.

Corrections

Contraband cell phones pose serious security risks in correctional facilities, enabling inmates to bypass monitoring systems, coordinate crimes, and maintain outside connections. Detecting and confiscating these devices is a critical challenge.

Preventing Data Exfiltration from Data Centers

Join our CTO, Brett Walkenhorst, Ph.D., to learn more about securing your Data Center from Cellular, RF, and Wireless Intrusion threats.

In the webinar, Brett walks through the different types of wireless vulnerabilities from the field and how to use a Wireless Intrusion Detection System (WIDS) to increase your operational security and get ahead of wireless threats.

WIDS – an introduction
Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention systems provide heightened operational security for your data centers, building on your existing investment in security cameras, access control and other forms of perimeter security. 

Data exfiltration via a rogue wireless device is a clear and present danger, yet goes largely unmonitored until a breach occurs, and then it is too late. Due to the nature of RF, there is no cable, no obvious connection, and so the threat often remains unseen.

How can Bastille help?

Bastille can help you by displaying wireless devices as dots on a floor-plan map, accurately showing their location within a defined space. The system can also be configured to alert when a device is found where it shouldn’t be or suddenly moves to a restricted area, such as within a geo-fenced space – inside a data center. Better still, since all this is recorded, you can go back in time using our DVR function to see when and where a device first entered your secure data center.

Wireless Devices Located include:

  • Cell Phones: Individual phones located in real-time just by their cellular signal
  • Wearables: e.g. Smart watches such as Garmin Fenix, FitBit and Biometric Human Performance Monitors and other tactical gear
  • Personal Medical Devices: e.g. Hearing aids
  • Laptops & Tablets
  • USB Cables with hidden Wi-Fi and Bluetooth data extraction capabilities
  • Any device emitting Cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or BLE

Top Data Center Use Cases include:

  • Enforce No Cell Phone Policy or Nuanced Wireless Device Policies
  • Detect Data Exfiltration by Cellular, Bluetooth, BLE or Wi-Fi
  • Locate Rogue Devices like Non-Authorized RF/Wireless Devices, Networks & Hotspots
  • WIDS Compliance for Federal Customers’ Data
  • Integrations with existing infrastructure e.g. Lenel, Genetec, Splunk, Palo Alto, Aruba, Cisco, Juniper and Axis

Speaker:

  • Dr. Brett Walkenhorst, CTO at Bastille and former Director of the Software Defined Radio Lab at Georgia Tech

Bastille Research – Wireless Zero Trust

Zero Trust requires visibility and detection across many facets of the internal networking environment. Learn how Bastille provides unparalleled visibility to enhance a Zero Trust Architecture with detection and geolocation for wireless devices, including Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, BLE, and IoT.

Bastille Research – The SECDEF Memo – June 2023: Safeguarding Classified National Security (CNSI) from the Threats Posed by Personal or Portable Electronic Devices Within SCIFs and SAPFs

A recent memorandum from the Secretary of Defense discussed wireless intrusion detection systems (WIDS) in sensitive and special access facilities. Learn how Bastille is uniquely qualified to address the SECDEF’s requirements for sensitive compartmented information facilities (SCIFs) and special access program facilities (SAPFs).