Your smartwatch is a threat to your office, but radio-frequency monitoring can help

By Jason Hahn February 1, 2015

Enterprise network security — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Internet of Things is an alarming threat for enterprise environments, which are increasingly vulnerable to the smartphones, smartwatches, fitness bands and other connected devices their employees are brining into their offices. Bastille Networks is addressing this risk with its proprietary software and sensors, which can monitor radio frequencies to detect unusual activity.

Bastille Networks, which is based in Atlanta, is aiming to plug the hole it sees in the current security landscape: the connected devices using Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, cellular networks and other channels brought within corporate buildings, particularly in sensitive areas like data centers and executive offices.

The company’s software and sensor technology can the measure radio-frequency signature for all devices in an office. If unusual activity is detected, Bastille Networks would alert the office’s IT staff. Potentially compromised devices can be located within three meters.

“Bastille safely and privately scans a corporation’s air space, giving security personnel visibility into every RF-emitting device on a premise,” according to the company’s website. “As a result, companies can accurately quantify risk and mitigate threats.”

In January, Bastille Networks received $1 million in an extended angel round of investment, which followed the $1.5 million it raised in September. The company planned to use these funds to invest in its engineering and pilot programs.

Bastille Networks has tested its technology with companies, including financial institutions, since December. It plans to officially launch its product at the RSA Conference in San Francisco in April, with hopes to make its technology available to companies beyond its pilots in late 2015.

[Image courtesy of Maksim Kabakou/Shutterstock]

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Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…

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