Detecting RF Emissions From a Restricted Area

Balint Seeber, Director of Vulnerability Research at Bastille, demonstrates detecting RF emissions in a restricted area such as a boardroom or C-suite where devices are prohibited. Bastille sensors listen across many protocols and frequencies, localize a periodically transmitting device as it moves through the space, and alert physical security that emissions were detected in the restricted zone.

Key Takeaways

• Some spaces, like boardrooms and C-suites, prohibit any radio-emitting devices
• Bastille sensors listen across many wireless and radio protocols to catch a device carried into the area
• Even a periodically transmitting laptop or phone is detected and localized as it moves through the space
• An alert goes to physical security so they can investigate the restricted-area intrusion

Video Transcript

Hello, my name's Balint Seeber, and I'm the director of vulnerability research at Bastille. In this scenario, we have one particular room here that is designated as a sensitive area. This may be a C-suite, a boardroom, or somewhere where any radio emissions are prohibited. For example, there may be areas where you're not allowed to take your cell phones. So we've deployed the Bastille solution on this floor, and we have this floor plan uploaded into the Bastille user interface.

And with the Bastille sensors, they're listening to a variety of different wireless protocols and different radio protocols over different frequencies. And, if in this case, we wanted to detect whether somebody enters this secure space, we can actually listen for any RF emissions on any devices that they might be taking with them, such as their laptop, their mobile phone. And as they do so, they might have a device that's periodically transmitting something.

The Bastille sensors will receive those transmissions, and then localize those emissions as they slowly move through the map. And then throw an alert indicating that emissions were detected within this restricted area. In this case, perhaps an alert is sent to personnel that look after physical security of the building, and they can go and investigate what's actually going on. [MUSIC PLAYING] PLAYING]