this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2023
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Privacy

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How do I learn more about using RF to improve my privacy? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hi, I have been having a look at utilising RF and trying to understand how every device around me emits RF.

I recently came across RTL-SDR and HackRF, alongside software like SDR++, TempestSDR, gqrx etc. I know that I can spy on my monitor and record keyboard keys being pressed using RF, but what are some other ways I should be looking at to exploit my digital vulnerabilities, and trying to solve such problems?

Thanks!

Edit: I'm well aware that nothing I'm doing is that interesting to security agencies across the globe. With that said, I'm interested in maintaining my privacy, and this happens to be an avenue I find interesting. Any suggestions on how I can look to do so would be greatly appreciated!

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hey, thanks for your comment. I don't think I'll be able to get anything from snooping on my WiFi signal, it's WPA2 and will be upgraded to WPA3 soon. I don't have the skills to fight that kind of encryption, unless I'm missing something very basic here.

I do have some understanding of networking and network security, and am familiar with wireshark. My intention to get into this subject was to try and find exploits possible outside of a network (discounting OPSEC). Basically, I wanted to see what wireless exploits I would hold even if I hardened my network to the maximum (shut down my connection to the Internet maybe). That is my motivation to try and learn about RF hacking, alongside maybe using it with IoT, etc (I plan to use FOSS software and will not allow access to the Internet).

I am mainly looking for signals around me that are unencrypted/loosely encrypted. There's no chance for me to break 128-bit encryption anyway, I won't even try to do that.

Thanks again! This really helped :)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

It's best to purchase an old router which doesn't support new protocols to learn with. It should only be used for your testing - not meant for normal use. WEP will be several orders of magnitude easier to crack than WPA2 or WPA3. Tools can help you break certain implementations of encryption regardless of how many bits of entropy that are being used - often by addressing weaknesses in the algorithms or cryptologic pathways vice brute forcing. That's often the kind of thing demonstrated in conferences and featured in research papers.

As far as everything else is concerned, you'll get there if you stick with it. I'll echo what others have said in this thread; there are some serious diminishing returns for attaining absolute security, all of which can be bypassed by attacking you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Thank you, and I might actually do so for testing purposes. I will note though, that my intention of learning about RF is to understand the ways in which I'm open to attacks which include RF. Not that worried about WiFi (WPA2/WPA3), but thanks for the idea