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Say we have a remote transmitter that is not connected to a wifi router (neither wirelessly nor by cable), but which transmits information using electromagnetic waves. Examples include walkie-talkies, mobile phones, and other devices like Bluetooth.

In this case, can the wifi access point (after being “hacked” or something) be used to receive and retrieve other signals?

Since a wifi router can be hacked, would other signals transmitted near the wifi router face the danger of being compromised and eavesdropped as well?

schroeder
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RLR
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1 Answers1

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In this case, can the wifi access point (after being “hacked” or something) be used to receive and retrieve other signals?

Theoretically, if the hardware allows it to act as a Software Defined Radio. It would likely only work within the relatively narrow frequency range it uses natively.

I'm not aware of any wifi chipsets that can act as SDR's, but that doesn't mean they don't exist, or can be made to exist by rewriting the firmware.

But that should not be your worry; if you use unsecured radio, your problem is unsecured radio, not that some device is able to eavesdrop on it. A cheap RTL-SDR stick will allow someone to listen in on whatever you're transmitting.

Making your AP receive it doesn't really change the threat vector. The threat vector is unsecured radio. Or, alternatively, that someone totally controls your wifi...

vidarlo
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