Table of Contents (linked to question)
1. What is cybersecurity, and why should I care?
2. Am I at risk of a cyber attack?
3. How will Wireless Defender benefit my small business?
4. What is the rate of failure of Wireless Defender?
5. Is the pricing a yearly price, or a one-time fee?
6. Does the package include customer support?
7. What is the shield made out of?
8. Will the shield affect my Wi-Fi connectivity inside my business?
9. How easy are the shield and router to install?
10. How has your mentor helped in the development of Wireless Defender?
2. Am I at risk of a cyber attack?
3. How will Wireless Defender benefit my small business?
4. What is the rate of failure of Wireless Defender?
5. Is the pricing a yearly price, or a one-time fee?
6. Does the package include customer support?
7. What is the shield made out of?
8. Will the shield affect my Wi-Fi connectivity inside my business?
9. How easy are the shield and router to install?
10. How has your mentor helped in the development of Wireless Defender?
What is cybersecurity, and why should I care?
Cybersecurity encompasses the technologies and standard procedures designed to protect networks, computers, and data from attack, damage, or malicious access. Cyber attacks are in the news almost daily, and it seems that many companies, schools, and governments are under constant attack.
We often don't hear about how much of a threat these cyber attacks are to small business owners. More than half of all cyber attacks are against small businesses, and can lead to weeks of downtime, and even foreclosure due to the financial strain on the business owner.
We often don't hear about how much of a threat these cyber attacks are to small business owners. More than half of all cyber attacks are against small businesses, and can lead to weeks of downtime, and even foreclosure due to the financial strain on the business owner.
Am I at risk of a cyber attack?
Do you own a cellphone? How about a computer? Do you run a business? Do you manage a website for yourself or your company? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are definitely at risk of becoming a victim of a cyber attack of any magnitude.
Currently, all password-protected Wi-Fi networks use a unique, 4-way handshake to generate new, unique, session keys. This handshake is what is vulnerable to the newly-developed, and highly detrimental, KRACK cyber attack. There are currently no methods of defense against this attack, and it has prompted the Wi-Fi Alliance to begin the development of WPA3 encryption, which has yet to be released.
According to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 58% of cyber attack victims were small businesses. These cyber attacks can be so detrimental to a small business because the cost alone of “cleaning up” after a data breach can be considerable. Around 60% of these small businesses that are hit with cyber attacks and forced to suspend operations were unable to reopen, due to bankruptcy. The lost revenue due to downtime, the money spent to remediate the business, and the damage to their reputation are why cyber attacks on small businesses are so damaging.
Currently, all password-protected Wi-Fi networks use a unique, 4-way handshake to generate new, unique, session keys. This handshake is what is vulnerable to the newly-developed, and highly detrimental, KRACK cyber attack. There are currently no methods of defense against this attack, and it has prompted the Wi-Fi Alliance to begin the development of WPA3 encryption, which has yet to be released.
According to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 58% of cyber attack victims were small businesses. These cyber attacks can be so detrimental to a small business because the cost alone of “cleaning up” after a data breach can be considerable. Around 60% of these small businesses that are hit with cyber attacks and forced to suspend operations were unable to reopen, due to bankruptcy. The lost revenue due to downtime, the money spent to remediate the business, and the damage to their reputation are why cyber attacks on small businesses are so damaging.
How will Wireless Defender benefit my small business?
Wireless Defender works by blocking all Wi-Fi signals from passing through the exterior walls of your business, so that nobody can connect to your business's Wi-Fi network from outside of the building. If a cybercriminal, attempting to steal confidential information, is not able to find a signal from the business, they will not be able to carry out their malicious attack. It would make the hacker’s work a lot more difficult and expensive. By removing any Wi-Fi coverage from the outside of the building, this will deter the attacker to leave your business and move onto their next target.
What is the rate of failure of Wireless Defender?
We have run 2 experiments, with 3 trials in each experiment. In our results, each time that Wireless Defender was deployed on a business network, signal strength dropped by over 50% from outside of the business. From our testing, we have found no rate of failure, and is a fool-proof method of preventing signal coverage outside of your business.
Is the pricing a yearly price or a one-time fee?
We currently offer 3 different packages of business protection. Our BRONZE and GOLD packages are one-time fees, and our PLATINUM package is a one-time fee with a $10 monthly fee to cover the cost of our 24/7 hour network monitoring software and customer support.
Does the package include customer support?
Yes, we offer free customer support for every customer. Cybersecurity is not always at the top of every business owner's mind, so we want their experience to be very user friendly, and we hope to offer the best support to every business, no matter the size.
What is the shield made out of?
The shield has 2 main components: The inner metal core, and an outer layer of radio frequency-blocking fabric. These two layers work together in unison to help stop any rogue wireless signals from leaving the workplace. From our testing, we saw a 28% decrease in signal strength, just from the fabric alone!
Will the shield affect my Wi-Fi connectivity inside my business?
In short, no, it will not affect the signal strength within your business. The shield is designed to prevent signals from leaving the business, but it will not affect the signal that is already inside. In fact, in some cases, the shield caused the signals to bounce off of the shield, and reflect back into the business, increasing the signal strength in some areas.
How easy are the shield and router to install?
The router is extremely easy to install. There are two different types of antennas, 2 dipole antennas, and 1 directional antenna. To switch between these antennas, there is a switch on the side of the router to choose which antenna is most effective for your business. You will need an ethernet cable to connect to your main server through an ethernet switch, or to your modem. The router also comes with a 4-ethernet switch to connect more of your hardwired or Power Over Ethernet (POE) devices.
How has your mentor helped during the development of Wireless Defender?
My first mentor, Thomas Mansfield, is the CEO and founder of Radio Frequency Engineering, and has been designing and manufacturing high-gain and directional antennas since he entered the Telecommunication Engineering field over 30 years ago. He has helped me throughout my project by answering a lot of the questions I have about how to properly engineer a product using radio frequency engineering.
My second mentor, Keith LeBeau, is the CEO of QScend Technologies, of Waterbury, CT, and he has provided me with the facilities to display my product, reach investors, and speak with other experts in the field of cybersecurity.
My second mentor, Keith LeBeau, is the CEO of QScend Technologies, of Waterbury, CT, and he has provided me with the facilities to display my product, reach investors, and speak with other experts in the field of cybersecurity.