Privacy and Security Implications on Wireless (Wi-Fi) Tomography

Abstract

This research is aimed to be a proof of concept for a Privacy and Security Implications on Wireless (Wi-Fi) Tomography. Wi-Fi is a popular wireless networking technology used today which uses radio waves to transmit data. For this research Radio tomographic imaging (RTI) technologies are used to prove that the privacy can be breached just by analyzing the wireless signals receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) value. This analysis can be done by anyone who has a simple wireless card that shows the RSSI value. Hence one’s privacy can be breached even without him knowing his movements are being analyzed by an outsider. First it is required to prove that there is an identifiable significant difference in the RSSI values when there is a moving object obstructing the wireless signal. For this real world scenarios are developed, data is gathered and analyzed. To match these scenarios to the real world data is gathered using a normal household environment and using common hardware devices. In the initial scenarios data is gathered with line of sight by a wireless access point and the data gathering computer and in the later set of scenarios human object is introduced and that object will be in between the data gathering computer and the wireless access point obstructing the line of sight of the both devices. Data gathered will be the RSSi values for each scenario for the given time of 15 minutes. This will be a critical phase because the whole study depends on the data gathered by this phase. This work will be using a statistical approach to solve this problem. Secondly this research tries to solve how accurately we can localize that moving object inside a scenario or simplify identify the objects whereabouts. Probability is an area that can be used for problems like this. So using a probability based approach is needed. Results obtained from this analysis will be directly connected to the privacy aspect of the research. This thesis is organized to show my research methodologies and knowledge obtained by analyzing the data in the area mentioned above.