This seventh patent expands our Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions™ intellectual property portfolio and further expands our position as the prime innovator  in the prison mobile device space by leveraging the security, efficiency and decentralization offered by blockchain technology.

The claims in this latest patent are directed toward managing commissary transactions using blockchain and smart contracts, for token management supported by a blockchain and for the enforcement of regulations in a controlled environment. This patent adds to the intellectual property foundation of Aisto®, our new blockchain powered inmate mobile device solution.

In general, there are quite a few benefits for the financial services industry to be achieved by using distributed ledger technologies (blockchain). This is also true for the financial systems used by detainees in correctional facilities to purchase services such as voice and video calls as well as goods offered in the commissary. Blockchain can address many of the problems currently experienced by inmates, their families and prison administrators using the current prison “banking systems.”

Banking systems used in prisons and correctional facilities have very little accountability. The lack of transparency excludes prison officials from seeing how inmates use their money outside the commissary. This lack of visibility also keeps all parties from becoming aware of discrepancies that may occur when funds are transferred, taken, or stolen.

Blockchain provides increased transparency among parties and as such improved reporting and monitoring by prison administration. Another key feature of blockchain is that any data recorded is immutable. Any data that is recorded on a blockchain can be tracked in real-time, leaving a very detailed audit trail. As such, it eliminates error handling and reconciliation, while providing the means to enforce rules and identifying and acting on policy violations.

The most commonly heard complaints about existing correctional prison financial networks are their lack of efficiency and lengthy delays when transferring funds into inmates’ accounts. Even when credit and debit cards are used to complete transactions, it can take hours or even days before the inmate has access to the funds. The account funding steps involved in using Green Dot cards are time consuming. Green Dot cards, for example, involve purchasing an actual card at a store. Money is placed on the card and then transferred into the inmate’s commissary account. Not only does each transaction (bank deposits / transfers and withdrawals) require a fee, there is also a fee every time the card is “reloaded.”

With Blockchain, settlements become user-optimised, which will save a significant amount of time and money, for both parties involved. Blockchain will remove the impact of processing friction and cost, as transactions settle instantly. The power of eliminating intermediaries is the ability to lower transaction costs and take back control from powerful financial intermediaries. Inmates and their families will benefit enormously as a result.

Combined with smart contracts, a self-executing contract containing the terms and conditions between the parties to the transactions, to regulate and execute inmate transactions extends the blockchain’s utility from simply record keeping to automatically implementing terms of multi-party agreements. An example would be the terms, rules, cost and scheduling of a video call between an inmate and his family.

With a shared database running a blockchain, the smart contracts are executed based on matching of terms and are validated by other parties instantaneously and without the need of an intermediary. This technology can enforce rules, regulations and ensure compliance while facilitating friction-less transactions.

Brian Byrne, Managing Partner of meshIP, LLC commented, “With this seventh patent, we continue to leverage the blockchain to create an integrated, end-to-end, blockchain powered services and financial system within correctional facilities. Combined with our first blockchain patent, this latest patent protects the intellectual property necessary to tie together the previously discreet domains of prison commissary providers, correctional banking systems, and the inmate communications services providers.”

Update (12/1/20): The patent (US10,855,838) was issued today by the United States Patent Office. You can view the patent here: Seventh meshDETECT patent

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meshDETECT® is pleased to announce that it has recently received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for U.S. Patent Application Number 16/517620 entitled “Systems and Methods For Blockchain Wireless Services In a Controlled Environment.”

A notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office is a written notification that a patent application has cleared internal review and is pending issuance.

This fifth patent expands our Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions™ intellectual property portfolio and further solidifies our position as the prime innovator in the prison mobile device space by leveraging the security, efficiency and decentralization offered by blockchain technology. The claims in this latest patent are directed toward voice and video call validation, decentralized voice and video call recording, and smart contract enabled inmate financial transactions. This patent is the intellectual property foundation of Aisto®, our new blockchain powered inmate mobile device solution.

In the traditional telecommunications systems of correctional facilities, the administrative costs involved in call and video recording as well as associated metadata are limited by the number of communication kiosks in the prison. This number is typically small and therefore makes it reasonable to maintain such administration via a single conventional, centralized computing center, whether located on-site in the correctional facility or in a remote site. However, as the number of these telecommunication devices and the complexity of the system increases with the introduction of mobile devices, such as tablets, to prisoners, the cost and complexity involved in capturing recordings, metadata and monitoring permissions increases significantly.

Blockchain technology deployment in a multi-path wireless network can apportion the requirements of a telecommunication system across many distributed nodes. Blockchain will therefore the reduce the burden on the processing, network, and storage systems of a correctional facility. By enabling the mobile devices within a prison as blockchain and multi-path wireless network nodes, not only can much of the computing requirements be offloaded from a facility’s centralized systems, but the facility can safely and securely maintain the same control and oversight as previously available.

Transaction record-keeping, recording and regulation of inmate device use may be distributed, with security and computing power increasing as a system grows. By implementing a blockchain ledger among mobile nodes via a mesh network in the closed system of a correctional facility, not only is the computing power and network access distributed across these nodes, but the control and records of any transactions within a system may also be distributed and replicated. This structure promotes redundancies and fail safe options not previously available in the traditional centralized architecture.

A distributed blockchain system creates a more permanent and unalterable record than a single database could, while allowing more nodes to function simultaneously. Distributed systems promoted by blockchain technology combined with mesh networking provide correctional facilities the potential to distribute management of the system by giving the nodes the ability to regulate themselves anonymously from each other but transparently to those administering the correctional facility. Not only can more devices be supported, but they can be supported with fewer resources, enhanced redundancy, and increased security.

Blockchain may also reduce the costs of running a secure network, which is important in publicly funded institutions such as correctional facilities. Because blockchain verifies trustworthiness, a centralized server does not need to handle this task. The friction of transactions is reduced, promoting cost and time savings. Key benefits of this system include providing for the wireless communication device to record a voice or video session instead of at the central database, allowing inmates and their families to schedule and pay for voice and video calls via a smart contract, as well as allowing nodes on the network to validate and control permissions, rules and transactions.

Brian Byrne, Managing Partner of meshIP, LLC commented, “With this fifth patent, we leverage the blockchain to enhance the key benefits and mitigate the major challenges of the growing role of mobile devices in correctional environments. There continue to be many industry announcements regarding inmate tablet deployments in prisons and jails, but we believe we are the first and only inmate communications services company innovating on the blockchain to secure and manage these inmate mobile devices. This patent is an important addition to our existing intellectual property which covers the four essential pillars of secure wireless inmate device deployment and management – system, application, device management and device security”

Update (6/24/20): The patent (US10,694,032) was issued yesterday by the United States Patent Office. You can view the patent here: Fifth meshDETECT patent

Update (12/15/20): meshDETECT was awarded its second blockchain patent and seventh patent overall on 12/1/20

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meshDETECT® is pleased to announce that it has recently received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for U.S. Patent Application Number 15/700,144 entitled “System and method for controlling, monitoring and recording of wireless telecommunications services in penal institutions.”

A notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office is a written notification that a patent application has cleared internal review and is pending issuance.

This fourth patent further expands our Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions™ intellectual property portfolio and solidifies our position as the prime innovator in the prison mobile device space. The claims in this latest patent are directed toward monitoring an inmate’s mobile device use and then remotely modifying inmate access to features and functions based on the detection of tampering with or prohibited usage of the device.

As more correctional facilities deploy wireless communications devices to inmates, these devices have the potential for criminal mischief if not closely monitored and strictly controlled. Prison authorities need timely notification of misuse or tampering as well as the ability to restrict or disable critical device features and functions, on an automatic or ad hoc basis.

Additionally, correctional facility staff need the capability to take immediate action to mitigate an individual inmate’s breach of the device use rules, or even restrict the functionality of all of the prison populations’ devices in the case of emergency situations such as a riot or lock down.

Brian Byrne, Managing Partner of meshIP, LLC commented, “With this fourth patent, we now have intellectual property which covers the four key aspects of secure wireless inmate calling – system, application, device management and now device security. There continue to be many industry announcements regarding personal communications device roll outs in prisons and jails, but we believe we are the only inmate communications services company with the intellectual property portfolio protecting these four core elements of the rapidly emerging inmate mobile device market.”

Update: The patent (US10,278,076) was issued on April 30, 2019 by the United States Patent Office. You can view the patent here: Fourth meshDETECT patent.

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Here is the latest summary of recent news articles regarding contraband cell phones in prisons around the world. I call these periodic round up of news items, “Wireless Prison Payphone™ Briefs” because this is essentially what smuggled mobile phones in jails have become – a substitute for the current wall mounted prison payphones.

Two years ago, we explored some of the news regarding wireless prison tablet devices; which highlighted how prison payphones were being replaced by a secure wireless device with cell phone capabilities that will reduce the demand for contraband cell phones. These articles demonstrated the fact that regardless of whether the device takes the form factor of a tablet or a cell phone, wireless voice capabilities will be the key service offering in reducing contraband and recidivism.

We thought it might be worthwhile to once again survey the recent news on this wireless technology deployment trend in prisons and jails.

• Inmates are entitled to phone privileges. There are 100 phones in the jail, about six for each cluster of cells known as a pod. Each pod can hold 64 inmates and has six phones — and they don’t always work. In May, all phones in one pod failed for five days. You can see why there would be disputes among inmates trying to make phone calls. Instead of standing in line waiting for a phone and then paying handsomely for the privilege, inmates will have their own tablets to use to make calls. (Source)

• Phone calls on mobile devices make sense. Allowing people to make phone calls from their tablet is basically a good thing. Instead of using a shared phone in a public area (probably with other people waiting in line), callers can now talk in more private locations. (Source)

• The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) has recently released a plan aimed to lessen the cost of inmates calling loved ones while behind bars, simultaneously increasing access to educational tools for incarcerated individuals. The tablets would also function as telephones. According to WYVY-TV, the plan will be included as part of the inmate telephone contract that will be sent out at the end of the year. (Source)

• All South Dakota DOC inmates who want a tablet now have a tablet. Inmates get longer phone calls with family and easy access to prison documents. (Source)

• According to Captain Stewart, since the inmates have been using the tablet there’s been a drastic decrease in inmate problems. “Our suicide attempts are down 66%, our successful suicides are down 100%, our inmate on staff assaults are down 60%, our inmate on inmate assaults are down” (Source)

• Amanda Michika, who also works for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department noted how the tablets have proven to reduce suicidal ideations and decrease the number of fights, including inmate-on-staff altercations. “All of the inmates that we have here are pre-sentenced inmates. They haven’t been convicted of any crime. We afford them the opportunity to have the same rights they would have outside when it comes to electronics,” Michika said. As Harms put it, the tablets provide an escape, whether its downloading music, reading books or chatting with family. “With over 200 men in one pod, there’s a lot of tension, a lot of testosterone. It means I can receive pictures from my loved ones and talk to my loved ones whenever I want,” Harms said. (Source)

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meshDETECT® is pleased to announce that it has recently received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for U.S. Patent Application Number 14/945,145 entitled “System and method for controlling, monitoring and recording of wireless telecommunications services in penal institutions.” A notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office is a written notification that a patent application has cleared internal review and is pending issuance.

This patent further expands our Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions™ intellectual property coverage and solidifies our position as the prime innovator in the prison mobile device space. The claims in this latest patent are directed toward remotely reassigning detainee call profiles to portable electronic devices in penal institutions.

As more correctional facilities deploy wireless communications devices including secure cell phones and tablets, these devices will inevitably be shared, rotated and re-purposed for economic, security and population management reasons. For instance, a prison may have a pool of tablets that are shared among inmates. As the tablet is reassigned from one inmate to another, a new profile, containing the second inmate’s unique account information, can be remotely applied to the device. A the same time, the first inmate’s profile is removed from the device to insure security and maintain privacy.

Brian Byrne, Managing Partner of meshIP, LLC commented, “With this third patent we now have intellectual property which covers the three key aspects of secure wireless inmate calling – system, application and device management. There have been many recent industry announcements regarding personal communications device deployments in prisons and jails, but we believe we are the only inmate communications services company with the intellectual property portfolio protecting these three core elements of the rapidly emerging inmate mobile device market.”

Update: The patent (US9,794,788) was issued on October 17, 2017 by the United States Patent Office. You can view the patent here: Third meshDETECT patent.

Update: meshDETECT was awarded its fourth patent on 4/30/19.

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meshDETECT® is pleased to announce that it has recently received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for U.S. Patent Application Number 13/931,850, which is a continuation of our first patent entitled “System and method for controlling, monitoring and recording of wireless telecommunications services in penal institutions.” A notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office is a written notification that a patent application has cleared internal review and is pending issuance.

This patent will expand our Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions™ intellectual property coverage and enhances our position as an innovator in the prison mobile device space. The claims in this patent are directed toward an application on a personal communications device, such as a tablet or cell phone, in the possession of an inmate that controls, monitors, and records voice phone calls. It also covers important security features to insure the device is authentic and is not tampered with or compromised.

Brian Byrne, Managing Partner of meshIP, LLC commented, “A strong intellectual property position has always been a fundamental objective of the company and we are pleased by the Notice of Allowance for this patent application, which will further enhance meshDETECT’s patent portfolio around prison mobile device solutions. Many of our competitors have announced similar solutions subsequent to the issuance of our first patent (US Patent Number 8,478,234), but we believe we are the only inmate communications services company with the specific intellectual property protecting our innovative prison mobile device solutions. We will continue to build on and leverage this strategic advantage.”

Update (2/23/16): The patent (US9,271,145) was issued today by the United States Patent Office. You can view the patent here: Second meshDETECT patent.

Update: meshDETECT was awarded its third patent on 10/17/17.

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Here is the latest summary of recent news articles regarding contraband cell phones in prisons around the world. I call these periodic round up of news items, “Wireless Prison Payphone™ Briefs” because this is essentially what smuggled mobile phones in jails have become – a substitute for the current wall mounted prison payphones.

In this edition, we explore some of the recent news regarding prison tablet devices and how they highlight what we have been promoting for some time now – prison payphones will be replaced by a secure prison device with cell phone capabilities that will reduce the demand for contraband cell phones. Regardless of whether the device takes the form factor of a tablet or a cell phone, wireless voice capabilities will be the key service offering in reducing contraband and recidivism.

• A spokesperson for the correctional technology company GTL, says some jails and prisons are even replacing wall phones with secure tablets that inmates can use not only to make calls, but also for education, entertainment and scheduling. “This is a trend that has only just begun to take shape,” he says. (Source)

• “This is what’s going to replace phones eventually,” the JPay founder told Yahoo Tech. “There are going to be major changes within the prison system environment because of this technology.” (Source)

• Securus Technologies announced today that distribution of its SecureView inmate tablet will top 2,000 units. “Through our initial tablet program, inmates overwhelmingly enjoy the privacy the tablet gives them for phone calls along with the games, music, and access to information such as Law Library and JobView,” (Source)

• “We believe that the Inspire devices are the future of inmate communications, education and entertainment,” said GTL’s chief marketing officer. “They improve a facility’s operational efficiencies by reducing costs and conflicts over access to phones, and have nearly limitless educational possibilities.” The company has already launched its wireless tablet technology in correctional facilities. Alameda County, Calif. currently operates one of the largest deployments of correctional wireless tablet technology in the country, according to GTL, and allows inmates to place calls of up to four hours in length directly from their jail cell. This ability to maintain communication and connection with friends and family has been linked to a reduction in recidivism. (Source)

• Companies with their exclusive focus on education and rehabilitation, are relying on economies of scale and the power of disruption to make a profit while bringing down the cost of technology and communication services. At scale, tablets can be provided at very low cost to facilities. Inmates pay no fees for the content. And there’s no technical barrier to someday replacing expensive telephone calls with much cheaper tablet-based broadband phone service. (Source)

• “At this juncture, we are not persuaded that Wi-Fi is an acceptably secure solution,” said the CEO of America Prison Data Systems in New York City, which helped San Francisco roll out 200 tablet computers at its jail last October. “That time may come down the road, but for now we know Wi-Fi is less secure.” (Source)

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With Global Tel*Link all but announcing at the recent Corrections Technology Association Annual Meeting its intention to offer mobile services in prisons, now may be the time to consider the best technology architecture for such deployments for those prison administrators who see the potential benefits of a secure prison cell phone solution.

There are essentially two ways to provision wireless personal communication devices, such as prisoner tablets, in a prison environment. In its presentation, Global Tel*Link stated that it has chosen to deploy service using WiFi to provide wireless connectivity. We think there are some significant operational challenges and, more importantly, serious security risks in this approach.

Security Risks

There are two main security risks, as highlighted by the recent news articles below. The first is the potential for intentional hacking of the system, either internally by tech savvy prisoners, or externally by those determined to defeat the WiFi security controls in order to gain or grant unfettered access to Global Tel*Link services, connected prison systems (commissary and trust accounts, etc.) or the unfiltered internet. A very real challenge with the decision to deploy a prison WiFi network is external hackers “wardriving” the system from outside the prison facility in order to accomplish this.

The second risk is the unintentional granting of access to the internet due to incompetence, human error and service misconfiguration.

In either case, the deployment of a local access wireless network via WiFi means that a single security breach, password hack or incompetent admin may result in unsecured and unmonitored access to internal prison systems and the outside world for all devices on the network.

In contrast, meshDETECT uses the traditional telco mobile network to provide secure voice and media services. Any breach, should it occur, is limited to a single device. If a device is hacked, a risk Global Tel*Link will also have to manage, one detainee may benefit; but no one can hack AT&T, Verizon, etc. in such a way to give all the meshDETECT mobile devices deployed in a prison unfettered access to the internet, or unmonitored calls to harass outside parties and plan crimes.

Technology choices in the deployment of a secure prison mobile access network service must focus on security, not profitability.

Operational Challenges

Now lets look at the operational challenges associated with deploying WiFi within a prison facility:

• Low powered – hand held devices maximum output is normally 0.4 Watt.

• Signal can suffer interference from other devices such as two way radios used by staff.

• Best when there is line of sight between transponders.

• Does not penetrate solid mass – concrete, brick, metal – the less porous the material the shorter the range and the slower the speed. Prison construction is high density blocks and cell doors are often clad in metal with metal surrounds.

• Tinted / reflective glass contains metal fragments resulting in drop in signal strength.

• Security fencing can act as a Faraday cage and ground the signal.

It is clear that achieving adequate WiFi signal coverage and application data throughput at a reasonable cost of installation is a challenge in this unique environment. Ongoing equipment maintenance expense as well as repair cost due to vandalism must also be considered when looking at the total cost of this approach.

In contrast, as evidenced by the high number of contraband devices and continued use of smuggled cell phones in jails and prisons globally, cellular signal strength and coverage is typically more than adequate, with no onsite equipment required. Additionally, 4G LTE (and soon 5G) cellular may be much faster than a WiFi network with an undersized or overburdened connection to the Internet (designed for coverage versus designed for capacity).

Real World Examples

Securus Finally Admits The Risks Of WiFi Deployment In Prisons

With the recent launch of Securus Technologies’ new inmate tablets utilizing a nationwide cellular network, their press release confirms our analysis and assertions regarding the operational inadequacy and security risks  of deploying WiFi in prisons detailed above. This blog post was written eleven years ago on June 6, 2013.

From the press release:

“Because of the complex implementation requirements in corrections settings, deploying tablet technology can take months, quarters, even years to fully implement, but the infrastructure with our new tablet technology allows for quicker and cost-effective deployment”

“Currently, tablets rely on a complex, on-site setup to connect to cloud-based services, which is costly and time-consuming. EVOTAB and Officer T80 tablets directly connect to a cloud platform using a secure cellular network, which is faster, more secure, and less hardware intensive.”

Source

Mich. DOC updates policy after inmates rig tablets to conduct ‘criminal’ activity

Overall, since October 2024, the Department of Corrections has found that about 5% of the 24,000 JPay tablets, or about 1,200, were compromised after inmates enabled Wi-Fi on the devices, had them in an unauthorized unit or had unauthorized apps.

“(Inmates are) watching movies. They’re watching pornography. They’re communicating with family and or gang members outside the prison system,” Osborn told The Detroit News. “With these tablets in this jailbroke status, they can do whatever the hell they want.”

The Department of Corrections works to find and remove compromised tablets and identify contraband, such as Wi-Fi sticks, used to rig them for internet access.

Source

New Wi-Fi Takeover Attack—All Windows Users Warned To Update Now

Microsoft has confirmed a new and quite alarming Wi-Fi vulnerability in Windows, which has been rated 8.8 out of 10 in terms of severity using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vulnerability, assigned as CVE-2024-30078, does not require an attacker to have physical access to the targeted computer, although physical proximity is needed. Exploiting this vulnerability can allow an unauthenticated attacker to gain remote code execution on the impacted device. What’s perhaps most concerning, though, is that this Wi-Fi driver security flaw affects all supported versions of the Windows operating system.

Source

WiFi vulnerability may leave millions of devices open to ‘frag attacks’

A security researcher known for pointing out faults in WiFi security has discovered another vulnerability. The newly unearthed flaws, known as “frag attacks,” are believed to be widespread as they stem from the WiFi standard, with some bugs dating back to 1997. While several additional vulnerabilities are caused by programming mistakes in WiFi products and affect every WiFi device, Belgian security researcher Mathy Vanhoef wrote on his blog.

Theoretically, if exploited, the vulnerabilities would allow an attacker within radio range to steal user information or attack devices. But, the chances of the flaws being abused should be low as the attacks require user interaction or uncommon network settings.

Breaking down how they work, Vanhoef explained that several of the flaws can be abused to “easily inject” plaintext frames into a protected Wi-Fi network,” along with certain devices accepting “plaintext aggregated frames that look like handshake messages.” This can be used to intercept traffic by tricking the victim into using a malicious DNS server, the researcher noted. In experiments, Vanhoef found that two out of four tested home routers were affected by this vulnerability, along with several IoT devices and some smartphones.

Other vulnerabilities are linked to the process by which the WiFi standard breaks and then reassembles network packets, allowing an attacker to siphon data by injecting their own malicious code during this operation.

Source

A Flaw in Billions of Wi-Fi Chips Let Attackers Decrypt Data

Billions of devices—many of them already patched—are affected by a Wi-Fi vulnerability that allows nearby attackers to decrypt sensitive data sent over the air, researchers said on Wednesday at the RSA security conference. Affected devices include iPhones, iPads, Macs, Amazon Echos and Kindles, Android devices, and various Wi-Fi routers.

The vulnerability exists in Wi-Fi chips made by Cypress Semiconductor and Broadcom, the latter a chipmaker Cypress acquired in 2016. The affected devices include iPhones, iPads, Macs, Amazon Echos and Kindles, Android devices, and Wi-Fi routers from Asus and Huawei, as well as the Raspberry Pi 3. Eset, the security company that discovered the vulnerability, said the flaw primarily affects Cypress’ and Broadcom’s FullMAC WLAN chips, which are used in billions of devices. Eset has named the vulnerability Kr00k, and it is tracked as CVE-2019-15126.

Manufacturers have made patches available for most or all of the affected devices, but it’s not clear how many devices have installed the patches. Of greatest concern are vulnerable wireless routers, which often go unpatched indefinitely.

Source

Serious flaws leave WPA3 vulnerable to hacks that steal Wi-Fi passwords

The next-generation Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol released 15 months ago was once hailed by key architects as resistant to most types of password-theft attacks that threatened its predecessors. On Wednesday, researchers disclosed several serious design flaws in WPA3 that shattered that myth and raised troubling new questions about the future of wireless security, particularly among low-cost Internet-of-things devices.

Every Wi-Fi network at risk of unprecedented ‘Krack’ hacking attack

Every Wi-Fi connection is potentially vulnerable to an unprecedented security flaw that allows hackers to snoop on internet traffic, researchers have revealed.

The vulnerability is the first to be found in the modern encryption techniques that have been used to secure Wi-Fi networks for the last 14 years.

In theory, it allows an attacker within range of a Wi-Fi network to inject computer viruses into internet networks, and read communications like passwords, credit card numbers and photos sent over the internet.

The so-called “Krack” attack has been described as a “fundamental flaw” in wireless security techniques by experts. Apple, Android and Windows software are all susceptible to some version of the vulnerability, which is not fixed by changing Wi-Fi passwords.

“It seems to affect all Wi-Fi networks, it’s a fundamental flaw in the underlying protocol, even if you’ve done everything right [your security] is broken,” said Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey’s Centre for Cyber Security.

Source

Wi-Fi software security bug could leave Android, Windows, Linux open to attack

In an e-mail today to the Open Source Software Security (oss-security) mailing list, the maintainer of wireless network client code used by Android, the Linux and BSD Unix operating systems, and Windows Wi-Fi device drivers sent an urgent fix to a flaw that could allow attackers to crash devices or even potentially inject malicious software into their memory. The flaw could allow these sorts of attacks via a malicious wireless peer-to-peer network name.

The end result is that an attacker could corrupt information in memory, causing wpa_supplicant and Wi-Fi service to crash; a crafted SSID could essentially be used as a denial-of-service attack on affected devices simply by sending out responses to Wi-Fi probe requests or P2P network Public Action messages. But it could also expose memory contents during the three-way handshake of a peer-to-peer network negotiation (the GO negotiation) or potentially allow for the attacker to execute code on the target.

Source

Military Cuts Guantanamo Bay WiFi After Alleged Threat by Anonymous

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is losing all access to wireless internet and social networks due to hacking threats.

U.S. military officials have blocked access to wireless internet and social networks like Facebook and Twitter at Guantanamo Bay because it fears that international hacking group Anonymous will launch an attack to disrupt services at the naval base.

Anonymous launched a global online protest to mark the 100th day of the hunger strike by Guantanamo Bay prisoners. The detainees have been protesting their living conditions and indefinite detention at the base.

The U.S. military said it has been receiving online hacking threats amid the hunger strike, which were allegedly from Anonymous.

Source

Prisoners Accessed Internet Through Faulty Computer Kiosks

Prisoners in privately run Mt Eden Corrections Facility were able to access the internet through faulty computer kiosks a security review of public sector computer systems has found.

The security breach was one of 12 “weak points” identified in Government Chief Information Officer Colin McDonald’s review of the security of 215 publicly accessible state sector agency IT systems released this morning.

Serco, the company which operates Mt Eden said that on November 26 last year, “an administrative error made it possible to open a web browser session” on kiosks provided to prisoners to allow them to “take responsibility for organizing their day-to-day lives and helps to develop literacy and numeracy skills”.

Serco’s Director of Operations Scott McNairn said the error “allowed for limited access to the internet, policed by a web filter which blocked access to inappropriate sites”.

“No email, social media or adult sites were accessed.”

The internet access was “limited” and “at no time was it possible to access any other systems or information”.

Serco has not said how long prisoners were able to access the internet for.

Mr McNairn said the company had improved security for the kiosks and was “confident” that the likelihood of further problems was “extremely low”.

Source

Jailed Hacker Hacks Prison Network

It’s almost comical, but an incarcerated hacker has hacked into his prison’s computer network.

According to Naked Security (Sophos), Nicholas Webber, who operated the GhostMarket.Net cybercrime website, signed-up for the prison’s IT class. Webber, who was 18 at the time of his arrest for bank frauds and identity theft scams, apparently go onto the network but was unable to access personal information files.

The prison issued a statement to the Register: “At the time of this incident in 2011 the educational computer system at HMP Isis was a closed network. No access to personal information or wider access to the internet or other prison systems would have been possible.”

The incident, which occurred in 2011, only came to light because of a wrongful termination suit by the instructor leading the class.

Source

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