War driving defense

By: Drivers.com staff

Date: Monday, 21. April 2008

Hackers parked in downtown parking lots hoping to pick up WiFi signals from local businesses, and perhaps piggy-back their WiFi internet connections, are running up against a new phenomenon -- energy-efficient windows that block the WiFi signals!

Eileen Bridges, a senior vice president for strategic planning and technical architecture at Bank of America Corp. told delegates at a recent Computerworld conference that her bank has discovered that energy-efficient windows in its newer buildings are not just blocking mobile hackers (also known as "War Drivers") but are also blocking cellular phone signals and making it difficult for customers and employees to maintain communications while in the buildings.

Many analysts and IT managers at the conference said they had never heard of the problem, which is associated with a special metallic doping material used in manufacturing the glass for the energy-saving windows.

Metal interferes with wireless signals, and many business have to enhance signals deep in their buildings. However, some businesses are using the glass as a security feature against hackers. Astic Signals Defenses is a company that sells the glass specifically for that purpose.

In a newer development, 3M corporation is now selling a glass that saves energy without using metals and does not interfere with cell phone signals.