RTLS Systems Found Vulnerable to MiTM Attacks & Location Manipulation

Multiple vulnerabilities in Ultra-wideband (UWB) Real-time Locating Systems (RTLS) have been reported, allowing threat actors to launch adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attacks and tamper with location information. 

The cybersecurity firm Nozomi Networks disclosed in a technical write-up last week, “The zero-days found specifically pose a security risk for workers in industrial environments. If a threat actor exploits these vulnerabilities, they have the ability to tamper with safety zones designated by RTLS to protect workers in hazardous areas.”

RTLS is used for automatically identifying and tracking the location of objects or people in real-time, typically within a confined indoor area. This is accomplished by attaching tags to assets, which broadcast USB signals to fixed reference points known as anchors, which then determine their location. 

However, flaws discovered in RTLS solutions (Sewio Indoor Tracking RTLS UWB Wi-Fi Kit and Avalue Renity Artemis Enterprise Kit) meant they could be weaponized to intercept network packets exchanged between anchors and the central server and stage traffic manipulation attacks.