Li-Fi Security

Li-Fi has been widely talked about, largely due to its capability to deliver a high data rate wireless connectivity.

Li-FI has some very interesting security characteristics too.

Reduced Leakage. Because the technology uses light, rather than radio waves it can be far more easily contained. Light does not leak through walls. Secure can be created by closing blinds and shutting doors. No more risks of the Wi-Fi spy in the car park.

This raises the possibility of creating secure ad-hoc networks in meeting rooms for example – enabling participants to share data without risk of data leaking out.

Highly Directional and Localised. Communication only takes place where the light can be seen, therefore the light can be directed towards certain areas within the office. This creates possibilities in open plan offices to create network zones.

Maybe one part of the office connects to a project network, alternatively if you walk to another area you are granted public Internet access.

Uni-directional. On the building infrastructure side, the sender (light bulb) and receiver (sensor) are not necessarily the same device, or even in the exact same spot.

The communication is fundamentally uni-directional. Two uni-directional channels are used back-to-back to create communications. While this in essence is an accident of the technology, it could be used creatively to build security enclaves as the solution effectively has data-diodes built in.

The inventors say the technology is not yet ready for the mainstream – maybe a few years away. When it does make it, I think there will be far more interesting things to do with the technology than just have high speed networking. It creates the opportunity for some creative security solutions.