Researchers Stalk and Impersonate Tracking Devices (for Safety)

pcmag.com:

At Black Hat 2022, security researchers showed off a new attack that goes after tracking systems built on ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technology. They were able to stalk these tracking devices without their target's knowledge, and even make targets appear to move at their attackers' will.

A key use of UWB is real-time locating systems (RTLS), where a series of transceiver stations called anchors track the location of small, wearable devices called tags in a specific area, in real-time. This has a number of applications, from simple tasks like tracking personal items to high-stakes scenarios like infectious disease contact-tracing and factory safety mechanisms. 

"Security flaws in this technology, especially in industrial environments, can be deadly," says Nozomi Networks Security Research Evangelist Roya Gordon.

You may not be familiar with UWB, but it's familiar with you. Apple has integrated it into mobile devices starting with the iPhone 11, as well as modern Apple Watches, HomePods, and AirTags. It's also being used in large-scale infrastructure projects, like the effort to drag the New York City Subway signaling system(Opens in a new window) into the 21st century.

Although Apple AirTags use UWB, the systems the team looked at were markedly different.

What's the problem with UWB RTLS? Although there is an IEEE standard for RTLS, it doesn't cover the synchronization or exchange of data, the research team explains. Lacking a required standard, it's up to individual vendors to figure out those issues, which creates opportunities for exploitation.

In its work, the team procured two off-the-shelf UWB RTLS systems: the Sewio Indoor Tracking RTLS UWB Wi-Fi Kit(Opens in a new window), and the Avalue Renity Artemis Enterprise