Technology Licensing Opportunity - This is not a procurement. Wireless Radio Frequency Signal Identification and protocol Reverse Engineering (WiFIRE) Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize the WiFIRE technology. Background: Wireless devices are widely used in public safety, emergency response, and critical infrastructure applications, as well as in broad general use for information exchange. Until recently, these signals had to be interpreted using specially-designed hardware that could receive, process, and interpret the complex waveforms. Software-defined radios (SDRs) are upcoming radio communication systems where components that have been typically implemented in hardware are instead implemented by means of software on a computer or embedded system. The emergence of SDRs, and the difficulty of analyzing radio frequency traffic, provide an environment where malicious hackers can compromise and tamper with critical systems or steal information. Spectral analyzers exist that can show what is being transferred across different frequency bands, but very little exists that can interpret those signals to understand what type of data is being transferred, and to identify the devices emitting these signals. Description: Researchers at INL have developed methods and systems for capturing and analyzing the radio frequency (RF) traffic, identifying the protocols in use, and locating the device(s) emitting the signals. The Wireless Radio Frequency Signal Identification and protocol Reverse Engineering (WiFIRE) automatically analyzes the RF emanations to determine protocols in use in real time, as opposed to capturing the data and analyzing it later as current systems do. Applications: Wireless communications technology and wireless devices will continue to increase in numbers, power, and capabilities. This system would provide an additional layer of defense against intrusion and identification of the wireless signals present or absent from an environment and an identification of communicating wireless devices. WiFIRE has many applications including critical infrastructure and other control system environments, military, police, business and organization IT, cybersecurity, electronics manufacturing, and wireless security. WiFIRE provides valuable security applications across any RF traffic. Advantages: WiFIRE provides automatic, real-time RF traffic analysis, which provides an automated solution to easily identify and study exposed surfaces of wireless systems. It can operate across a broad range of frequencies and monitor packets from live wireless connections, or captured wireless network traffic, that use a wide variety of protocols. WiFIRE can also monitor the interior of buildings, or geographic areas, to identify wireless activities. Another advantage is its ability to detect wireless devices going into prohibited areas and detect intruders carrying wireless devices into a geographic area. Impact: The biggest impact of WiFIRE is increased security. WiFIRE provides insight into the wireless signals moving through an environment , the behavior of wireless devices, and the ability to learn about these devices with wireless monitoring and optional interrogation. WiFIRE is an essential element for providing security to wireless devices and networks. Fewer security risks and threats result in potential time, energy, and cost savings. Development: This technology has been tested and validated at the bench scale. Additional development will be required to demonstrate a pilot scale process. IP Status: US Patent Application No. PCT/US19/32845, “Spectrum Monitoring and Analysis, and Related Methods, Systems, and Devices.” INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Jon Cook at
[email protected].