ZISC alumni Boris Danev and his company 3DB Technologies are featured in a Wired article that introduces exciting individuals and groups bringing about the next wave of digital security.
“Convenience often comes at a security cost, as Boris Danev knows all too well. In 2010, while a Phd student at ETH Zurich, Danev discovered the increasingly popular passive keyless entry systems – which use Bluetooth to allow an owner to unlock and start their car by proximity alone – could be very easily hacked. All he needed was a cheap off-the-shelf Bluetooth amplifier to trick the car into thinking the key was much closer – even when it was actually up to 165 feet away on the dining room table inside the car owner’s house. Some insurers now refuse to cover such cars unless additional security, such as a locked garage, is in place.
Through Thalwil, his Switzerland-based startup, 3DB Technologies, Danev is now commercialising a chip specially designed to prevent such attacks. This works by sending very short energy pulses at a specific frequency range, just like a password, which changes on every use. The key then returns the signal back to the car, which uses the elapsed time to measure the exact distance between them.”
See the full article at: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/hp-re-inventors-security-re-inventing-device-security