While organizations have buffed up on network security protocols over the years, there is still one space that they have yet to cover, and we’re talking about a lot of previously unsecured space.

“Corporations have done a good job of securing their wired networks and Wireless networks. However, wireless entities that are not under their control, or not seen by any other security measures, may allow unauthorized access to their network, cause data leaks, and steal user identities,” says Ohad Plotnik, General Manager of new Israeli cyber-security startup AirEye.

From protecting wired & wireless networks to protecting the whole network airspace

New Israeli startup AirEye provides a new network security approach, by protecting an organization’s physical network airspace. The company's technology helps prevent attacks before they occur and alerts to the attacks that have been mitigated. Aside from already securing key customers from Israel, Europe, and Japan, the company announced that it is embarking on its Series A funding round in the upcoming weeks.

According to the company, organizations lack visibility and control over threats and vulnerabilities in their proximity. An airborne attack may include Data leaks, unauthorized network access, device hijacking, etc. The threat source may be their own unmanaged devices (wireless cameras, wifi direct, access points, laptops, cellular telephones, IoT units) or uncontrolled wireless neighbor devices and networks.

While talking to Geektime, Ohad presented an example of the company’s focus “a user's endpoint device, previously connected to open Wifi, is connecting to a corporation’s wired network, with an attacker targeting the device behind the scene - causing him to connect to a fake network (Hijack the connection), creating a case of dual connectivity.”

AirEye’s solution requires no installation on the customer's infrastructure or network. Instead, the company deploys lightweight sensors that provide 24/7 monitoring of airborne traffic, with WiFi being the main channel monitored currently. However, Ohad promises that the company has other network channel detection capabilities up the sleeve, including Bluetooth, cellular, 5G, and more. T

CEO Shlomo Touboul said that, "we are addressing a significant weakness in organizations. In the last few months, we have seen widespread attacks on US government authorities such as the attack on the Nebraska Congress building, the internal attack on the US Interior Department, and attacks on the Justice Department's air network space that originated in Russia. During the COVID-19 period, this type of attack, is gaining momentum around the world and has incurred billions of dollars in damages."

The system operates in 3 simple steps. First, metadata is collected and processed from all wireless channels, then sent for classification and deep analysis by the AirEye cloud service. Next, the system utilizes wireless security AI detection engines to autonomously detect and prevent suspicious activity. And third, the system sends alerts to the Dome dashboard and to relevant security teams for further care.

Ohad Plotnik further notes that "due to the abundance of wireless end points, an intruder can attack a Tel Aviv hospital from the other side of the world by taking control of the wireless component in a nearby café and attack lifesaving machines inside the near by hospital."

AirEye's founding group consists of an All-Star team of Israeli cyber minds, including Plotnik, who previously co-founded Aorato, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2014 for $200 million; CTO Amichai Schulman, who co-founded Imperva, which was acquired in 2018 by the Thomas Bravo Fund for $2.1 billion; and Shlomo Touboul, who sold his first company to Intel, invented the field of Sandbox behavior analysis, founded Finjan, Yogi 's Security Systems, and was CEO of Team8's Illusive Networks.

Plotnik further shared with Geektime that one of the main reasons behind this All-Star cyber ensemble is that "we are all in love with the problem - which turned out to be a major network security problem not solved until now."