Page 187 - Cyber Defense eMagazine January 2024

devices are found vulnerable, they must be discarded as their firmware cannot be updated once they
leave the factory. Devices with flash memory can be fixed if updated firmware is available from the
manufacturers. It is recommended to upgrade to the latest firmware before continuing to use the affected
wireless devices.

4. Conclusion

The various exploits like Mousejack, KeyJack, and electromagnetic side-channel attacks prove that
wireless products even from trusted manufacturers may be vulnerable to serious security exploits. Also,
this shows how creative hackers can get to compromise computer networks. Before the pandemic,
organizations had to only worry about physical security in company onsite locations. But now the threat
landscape is changing as the workforce moves from traditional onsite spaces to home offices.
Organizations must perform due diligence to make sure the peripheral devices that they have issued are
not vulnerable to these exploits. The IT department must frequently check the list of affected devices
published by researchers and take appropriate measures. If updated firmware is available from the
manufacturers, it must be pushed to all the devices. All vulnerable devices with no firmware updates must
be discarded. Organizations must maintain a thorough inventory of all devices used to keep track of
vulnerable and end-of-life systems. It is important to create awareness among users about these exploits
so that they can take simple measures like locking their laptops before stepping away from their desks
or removing the USB dongle when not in use. This also helps them identify irregular unexpected
behaviors in their workstations.

Reference:

Bastille Research Team (2017). Rogue Cell Towers. Bastille Wireless Threat Intelligence. Retrieved from
https://www.bastille.net/vulnerabilities/rogue-cell-towers

Marc Newlin (2016). MouseJack Technical Details. Bastille Wireless Threat Intelligence. Retrieved from
https://www.bastille.net/research/vulnerabilities/mousejack/technical-details

Marc Newlin (2016a). Keysniffer. GitHub - Bastille Wireless Threat Intelligence. Retrieved from
https://github.com/BastilleResearch/keysniffer

Marc Newlin (2016b). Keyjack. GitHub - Bastille Wireless Threat Intelligence. Retrieved from
https://github.com/BastilleResearch/keyjack

Marc Newlin (2016c). BastilleResearch/mousejack. Github. Retrieved from
https://github.com/BastilleResearch/mousejack

Marc Newlin (2016d). BastilleResearch/nrf-research-firmware. Github. Retrieved from
https://github.com/BastilleResearch/nrf-research-firmware

Mordechai Guri (2022). SATAn: Air-Gap Exfiltration Attack via Radio Signals From SATA Cables.
Retrieved from https://browse.arxiv.org/pdf/2207.07413.pdf

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