FINAL PROJECT - Spring 2006
Jammer / ReMember?
Final Presentation, 4/19
(Michael, I'll be updating this prior to Wed with add'l images + references to context)
Initial Proposal
Schedule
Tech Research: BlueSMiRF
Code Samples
FINAL PROJECT: INITIAL PROPOSAL
Group Project: Angela Pablo, Pollie Barden, Sonali Sridhar
Combined with Every Bit You Make
CONCEPT
Jammer is an exploration in mobile communication through open Bluetooth sockets. It will look into the possibilities of creating conversation between two open Bluetooth devices which creates “noise”. At this point, if these devices encounter vulnerability to being snooped or hacked, the only data available to grab would be this noise (such as false SMS or contact lists) being transmitted from one Bluetooth device to another.
In effect, this broadcast intentionally sends out garbled data or chaff:
This is also an exploration of a community that can be created by the interlinking of mobile objects on our body thus playing out the idea of the technological ever-present second skin. ReMember? comments on the creation of this second skin through dependence on these external elements and conversations that occur between them.
PROBLEM
With the bluetooth specification becoming more popular in the US, along with our dependence upon external devices such as our cell phones, PDAs?, and laptops to communicate and store personal information, the vulnerability of our information is growing as well.
A number of hacking methods have emerged, including bluesnarfing, bluebugging, and bluesniping. Hackers can gain control of your mobile device, make long distance phone calls, steal your contacts, and read your SMS messages.
GOAL / PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
Jammer – Rather than hiding or encrypting information, Jammer injects chaff into the Bluetooth network, thereby jamming it with a flood of data.
ReMember? – We are interested in commenting on our social attachment to external technological devices. Through wearable technology, and providing some form of audio or visual feedback (TBD), a physical layer of the project will look at our sense of “completeness” when our devices are present.
AREAS OF RESEARCH
Social Aspects
* Social impact of Bluetooth technology
* Behavioral changes among users
* User dependence on technological devices (psychological, emotional, physical)
* Feedback loop
* Continuous passive attention
Code Elements
* Tcpdump/Kismac/Ethereal
* Bluetooth (AT commands)
* Bluesnarfing
* Python
* Chaffing & winnowing (broadcast)
Physical & Hardware
* Nokia Series 60 (6630 and N70 models)
* Bluetooth Modem (BlueSMiRF?)
* Hardware wiring of project components
* Wearables
* Physical locking device
DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION
Jammer – We will utilize tcpdump/KisMAC?/Ethereal to retrieve data from the surrounding wifi network. This will then serve as the content for the garbled information/conversations between the Bluetooth devices. We will be working with primarily a Nokia 6630 cell phone to both store data and broadcast the garbled conversations and other information.
The broadcast will occur between the cell phone, wallet and keys – all of which will be embedded with Bluetooth technology.
Based on our initial research, the method of chaffing and winnowing\ as presented by Ronald L. Rivest from the MIT Lab for Computer Science, may perform the task of protecting the data in our scenario. The garbled data will be fed via Bluetooth from laptop to cellphone, and a Python script will broadcast the chaff.
ReMember? – A wearable will also be designed to hold the following elements: cell phone, wallet, keys. These pieces will “converse” with each other to inform the user of their presence/absence. When locked in, the wearable will provide the user some type of audio or visual feedback to confirm they are in place. Should they go missing, an alert will notify the user of their absence.
REFERENCES
Group project blog
A list of compiled resources to date (del.icio.us links)
1. Rivest, Ronald L. Chaffing and Winnowing: Confidentiality without Encryption. 1998. < http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~rivest/chaffing.txt>
March 29, 2006
Work Completed To-Date:
Working with BlueSMiRF Basic Model. Setup of Bluetooth chip on breadboard, naming and recognition with laptop via Bluetooth Setup Assistant on Mac laptop. Ran ZTerm? serial communication and entered following AT commands:
+++ (Enter configuration mode)
ATSI, 2 (Find chip's name)
ATSN, newName (Allows you to rename chip)
Python installation and testing of basic scripts on Nokia 6630 cell phone.
Researching various types of feedback for ReMember? layer of project.
Informal surveys regarding types of checks people perform to make sure their devices, keys, and wallets are present. What are your habits?