From ComputerWorld: A talk about a radio-based privacy device dubbed ProxyHam that promised to allow hackers to connect to Wi-Fi networks from as far as 2.5 miles away was abruptly pulled from the DEF CON schedule by its creator a few weeks ago.
The incident, which some speculated was the result of pressure from the FBI or the NSA, outraged the security community. But as hackers are not the type to give up easily, they quickly came up with a replacement that in many respects is better than the original.
Called HamSammich, the new device is the creation of security researchers Robert Graham and David Maynor and can proxy data over the 900 Mhz radio band from 20 miles away at up to 56kbps -- the top speed of a dial-up modem from the late 1990s. It was presented at the DEF CON hacking conference on Friday.
The idea behind ProxyHam and HamSammich is that a user can install the device in a public place, connect it to a free Wi-Fi hotspot and then relay the connection over the 900 Mhz band to a computer that's equipped with a powerful antenna pointed at the location of the first device. This would make the user appear to be physically in one location while in fact he would be miles away.
View: Article @ Source Site
