A newly developed, ultra-powerful Wi-Fi router can not only beam signal from as far away as 4km, but can do it all while guaranteeing anonymity using IP-masking software.
Developed by security researcher Ben Caudill of Rhino Security Labs, the Proxyham router is expected to make its debut at the Def Con hacker conference in Las Vegas in August, but details about it have been revealed online.
According to Motherboard, the concept of a 4km-range Wi-Fi router made sense from an anonymity point of view as those using services such as Tor to mask their IP can still be found by sourcing (with difficulty) where the internet signal is coming from.
By accessing it from 4km away, those using Proxyham are given a thick layer of extra security from being found by someone looking to locate the user whether they are someone engaging in a cyberattack or snooping authorities.
Proxyham image via Ben Caudill
To ensure this anonymity, the user would connect through a public space such as a coffee shop or library and ensure that they can’t be traced back to their home where their computer is.
According to Caudill, the key to the internet signal being beamed across such large distances is because it uses the 900MHz radio spectrum, which means the only catch is that they have to stick a radio antenna capable of picking up the signal on top of their house.
The hardware behind the Proxyham is relatively inexpensive and is based on a Rasperry Pi motherboard, allowing for cheap and easy production when it hits the market for a price of US$200, or free once he releases the source code for its specifications.
Speaking of its level of security, Caudill said: “If you throw this in a library it would take you years to be able to identify it.”
Radio antenna on roof image via Shutterstock
