While consumers and workers typically know that their mobile devices are frequently sending off data to the Internet, most do not understand the implications of carrying around an always-on connection in their pockets.
A University of Wisconsin at Madison law student and security researcher plans to highlight the privacy and security problems by demonstrating a monitoring system that uses a network of inexpensive sensors to track people using their smartphones and other wireless devices. The system, known as CreepyDOL, uses a network of air-dropped sensors that listen for wireless traffic, allowing the tracking of anyone with a wireless-enabled mobile device.
“The CreepyDOL system takes the fundamental assumption of hiding in the crowd and does away with it,” says Brendan O’Connor, the founder of security consultancy Malice Afterthought and the creator of the system. “Even if you don’t connect, if you are wired on a network, we will find you. If you are a person in a city, we will find you, and we will do it all for very little money.”