noWYR Security Methodology

Our Proprietary Protocol

noWYR’s proprietary air interface provides a strong foundation against attacks by invaders. First of all, because our equipment supplier's system is based on a proprietary protocol, there are no published specifications for the product by which sniffer radios could be built. In addition, a sniffer would require their proprietary chip set that is not readily available. Second, the MAC protocol for packet assembly, disassembly and retransmission is not published. Third, data transmitted over the air is scrambled into 64-byte data packages thus providing an additional obstacle to unauthorized decoding. Finally, the directionality of the system transmissions impedes eavesdropping. In other words, the proprietary air interface presents a major hurdle for unauthorized parties. Of course, the system’s security is not based merely on secrecy of its air interface.

AUTHENTICATION

Clearly it is inadvisable to transmit information that one assumes is secure using clear text as it can be easily monitored. Unlike many fixed wireless broadband products, our equipment supplier's system does not use clear text transmissions but rather a proprietary protocol for transmissions. When this protocol is combined with their Authentication Manager, an added level of security is achieved.

The Authentication Manager controls access to the system, and each Access Point (AP) module can be configured to require secure Subscriber Module (SM) authentication prior to providing network access. Each SM must be authenticated by the Authentication Manager before entering the network. SMs are authenticated and keys are managed individually. The authentication process also takes into account the electronic serial number unique to each transceiver along with a 128-bit secret key that is unique to each SM and is known only to noWYR. The eight step authentication process is shown below.