Security On SKYNet?
Wireless communications devices provide considerable flexibility by sending signals over airwaves instead of over wires or fiber. However, sending signals over airwaves can create the opportunity for a security risk in the form of data interception. Using the following techniques, which provide protection at the physical, network and application layers of the network, SKYNet is able to provide a highly secure and robust system to keep out wireless eavesdropping and malicious user attacks.
Security infrastructure:
- Proprietary Wireless and Data Formats
Unlike a WiFi based Wireless LAN such as 802.11b or 802.11a/g where the standard is "open," SKYNet uses proprietary communications signaling and data-link protocols.
- Pseudo-random Transmission Scrambling and Encryption
The signaling scheme used by SKYNet pseudo-randomly scrambles the transmissions, thus increasing the difficulty of intercepting a transmission. Encryption is also used on every wireless link, typically at 128 bit.
- Subscriber Authentication
SKYNet NOC control servers maintain a user-configurable and password controlled table of authorized SKYNet subscriber addresses. Subscriber units cannot talk to the network unless the SKYNet Base Station Unit authenticates its address and "adds" it to the network.
- Address Filtering
SKYNet Subscriber Units are configured to filter the downlink traffic stream to prevent a SKYNet Subscriber Unit from outputting traffic that is destined to another SKYNet Subscriber Unit. Only the SKYNet network operations centre (NOC) in San Gwann can configure the filtering controls. This prevents unauthorized access of another user’s data.
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