Outsmarting Smart Device
Rochester Institute of Technology, Fall 2023
Problem Statement
Political and economic officers at embassy Brussels need to be alerted when their personal devices’ unauthorized wireless capabilities are enabled in Controlled Access Areas (CAAs) in order to prevent adversaries from using wireless signals to collect classified information.
Problem Scoping and Discovery
The team conducted 85 discovery interviews and gained the following insights:
A key pain point for people who use CAAs is unnecessary delays and the confiscations of smart devices.
Information post officers may be reluctant to adopt any solution that involves new training because they are oversaturated with training modules.
Culture and policy are key factors in solving the problem rather than technology alone.
Solution Proposed
The team proposed establishing an umbrella standard for both security education and physical controls using standardized NIST 853 protocols and intelligence community directives. Each of these controls assumes a distinct role in ensuring the security and privacy of information systems. These standards would be supplemented with physical controls including device lockers and proximity sensors.
Results
The problem sponsor plans on conducting the pilot test at the Brussels mission and engaging CTS and M leadership to showcase the results in an attempt to get full-scale implementation approved.