Would you trust WirelessUSB with KISSBind?
posted Aug 11th 2005 10:35AM
So Cypress Semi. has this new feature for WirelessUSB (uh, where that at, again?) called KISSBind that allows for a "simple and intuitive" way for device pairing, wherein two device merely come in very close proximity with one another—no keypresses, no passcodes, nothing—and instantly bind. No fuss, no muss. Sounds great for mom and dad until you realize how difficult it would be to make a wireless device truly capable of telling distance without triangulation, especially when you've got a (nefarious) snarfer on the loose. If KISSBind really only uses proximity to bond WirelessUSB devices together, we're going to be really surprised if this even gets a foot off the ground a foot before "Kissnarfing" blows the whole thing wide open and ruins WUSB for everyone. Sheez, thanks a lot, guys.
[Thanks, Sherif]
Update: So apparently Cypress's WirelessUSB is not to be confused with Wireless USB (which Cypress should have made clear), and KISSBind works in extremely low power/range wherein it "modulates its power output in a specific manner, and at levels that would not be detectable by any receiver that is more than a few centimeters away." We're still not convinced it wouldn't be totally snarfable, but we thank Sherif (again) for his input.
If they use some kind of key challenge binding and make sure the repsonce time is within say 100 pico-seconds then you can safely assume that the devices were very close to each other (unless the hacker changed the laws of physics to speed up light (E.M.) propergation.)
We already have Wireless USB. It's called Bluetooth.
Couldn't the devices use some sort of close range induction loop, secondary to whatever they use for the long-range wireless communication? Besides, "KISSBind" sounds like they are actually supposed to touch.
Isn't there a risk of transmitting mono when they KISSBind?
Philip,
Bluetooth is much slower than USB/2, which is where Wireless USB plans to improve itself.
If they were to use a near-field communication (NFC, for short) scheme then the two objects that were to be paired would have to be within a few inches of each other at the most.
Now that I think of it, pickpockets get even closer to you when they steal your wallet...
Bluetooth is: too expensive, too slow and too difficult to use. Let's hope that you're not right and WUSB isn't Bluetooth revisited. If so, the CE market will have blown yet another opportunity to really make wireless PAN consumer-viable.
The Wireless USB spec is based on ultrawideband (UWB). It will be less expensive than Bluetooth and have bandwidth equivalent to wired USB 2.0.
One of UWB's defining features is that its use of super-short pulses, in combination with its extremely accurate timebase allows it to determine the distance to any of its neighbors quite easily. UWB devices designed specifically for distance measuring have mm-length accuracies.
hmm, bluetooth is looking into using the same frequency/tech as wusb is going to use to speed up transfer rates. ultra wide band or something like that?
allso, latest version of bluetooth is compareable to a usb1 speeds if both devices support the version.
and bluetooth by itself is cheap. i can get a bluetooth usb dongle without paying a hand and a foot. but the phones and pdas that come with bluetooth in place are sadly aimed for the high-end market 99% of the time.
Certified Wireless USB by the USB-IF is based upon WiMedia Ultrawideband (UWB) specifications and technology. The specifications address how devices pair and questions on that should be addressed to the USB-IF Promoter members, which include HP, Philips, Agere, Intel, Microsoft and NEC. http://www.usb.org/developers/wusb. I am not sure if Cypress is now doing Certified Wireless USB that operates at 480Mbps and would earn the Certified Wireless USB logo, as the solution they introduced last year actually is about 1Mbps and is proprietary.
GPS/triangulation my ass. Both devices would simply run low-frequency (unnoticable to humans) ping-pong. When the devices are close enough, their pings recieve pongs back, telling it to activate the 'binding' software and suddenly they'll be talking to each other as if they were wired together. this happens within a few miliseconds, depending on device processing power. fuckwits.
Yes kids, serious viruses can be passed by KISSing.
that pretty dame rubbing up against you on the bus - could be stealing your contacts!