Wi-Fi signals let researchers ID people through walls from their gait
Yasamin Mostofi asks us to imagine this scenario: police have video footage of a robbery. They suspect that one of the robbers is hiding in a house nearby.
Can a pair of off-the-shelf Wi-Fi transceivers, located outside the house, look through the walls to see who’s inside?
That’s easy to answer, since we’ve seen it done before.
In 2015, MIT researchers created a device that can discern where you are and who you are, detecting gestures and body movements as subtle as the rise and fall of a person’s chest, from the other side of a house, through a wall, even though subjects were invisible to the naked eye, by using the human body’s reflections of wireless transmissions.
Then, 11 months ago, a team of researchers at University of California Santa Barbara demonstrated using a streamlined set of technologies – just a smartphone and some clever computation – how to see through walls and successfully track people in 11 real-world locations, with high accuracy.
But here’s a new question: Can Wi-Fi signals be used to identify the person in the house? Can off-the-shelf hardware determine if whoever’s in the house is one of the people in the video surveillance footage police are scrutinizing?
Yes. UC Santa Barbara researchers are back again to show that they’ve built on their previous work: It can be done by analyzing people’s walking gaits and comparing them to the gait of whoever’s in the CCTV footage.
Mostofi, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Barbara, is the research lead behind XModal-ID: a proposed approach to using Wi-Fi signals to identify people from their walking gait.
The methodology and experimental results from Mostofi’s team, which will be presented at the 25th International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking (MobiCom) on 22 October, show that Wi-Fi signals can be used to detect the gait of people through walls and to then match it to previously captured video footage in order to identify individuals.
It needs neither prior Wi-Fi or video training data of the person under surveillance, nor any knowledge of the area in which it’s going to be set up.
How it works
To identify individuals’ unique gaits, the researchers had to translate video into the wireless domain. To do so, they used what’s called human 3D mesh extraction. That’s an algorithm that extracts a 3D mesh that describes the outer surface of the human body as a function of time. Then, they added electromagnetic wave approximation to simulate the RF signal that would have been generated if the person was walking in a Wi-Fi area.
Next, they used a time-frequency processing pipeline to extract key gait features from both the “real” WiFi signal – i.e., the one that was measured behind the wall – and the video-based one. They compared the two spectrograms, which carry the person’s gait information, extracting a set of 12 key features from both spectrograms, and calculated the distance between the corresponding feature to determine if they matched.
In experiments conducted on campus in three different areas, they hit accuracy rates of between 82% and 89%.
For more details, check out the team’s project summary page, or you can read their paper.
Applications: surveillance, security and smart homes
The team suggests that there are several potential applications for XModal-ID:
- Security and Surveillance. The technology could be used by police who are searching for a suspect captured in video footage of a crime scene. They’ll need to position a pair of Wi-Fi transceivers outside a suspected hide-out building and then use XModal-ID to determine if they’re observing an individual who matches the one from the crime video. They can also use the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure of public places to detect the presence of the suspect, the researchers said… all of which would raise questions about warrantless search, I imagine…?
- Personalized Services. The researchers suggest that XModal-ID could also come in handy in a smart home, where the home Wi-Fi network could use XModal-ID and one-time video samples of each resident to identify who just walked into a room. Presto, switch on that person’s preferred music, adjust the temperature to suit, and set the lighting to his or her preferences
source nakedsecurity
Industry: Cyber Security
Latest Jobs
-
- Senior Client Microsoft Security Delivery Consultant - Hybrid (London | Remote)
- London
- N/A
-
Senior Client Microsoft Security Delivery Consultant - Hybrid (London | Remote) We are seeking an experienced technical Security Consultant to help clients deploy and enhance their cyber defences across Microsoft and vulnerability management technologies. You will work with enterprise customers to deliver tailored solutions across threat detection, endpoint protection and exposure management, ensuring security platforms are efficient, integrated and aligned with operational goals. Whilst you won't do the design yourself- you will work alongside technical Presales to document, agree and then deliver the solution. You will have experience leading delivery the implementation and improvement projects, providing hands-on support with configuration, integration and optimisation. You will assess existing environments, recommend enhancements and guide clients on best practice to strengthen visibility and control. Strong experience with SIEM, XDR and vulnerability tooling (Microsoft & Tenable ecosystems ideal) Understanding of Azure security, identity and access controls Background in consulting or project-based cyber delivery Clear communication skills with the ability to engage senior stakeholders Extra points if you have the SC-100. You must be eligible to achieve UK Security Clearance to be considered for this role.
-
- Account Director | Cyber Security Consulting | UK - South East
- London
- N/A
-
Account Director | Cyber Security Consulting - Financial Services | UK - South East. New Role due to Growth We are looking for an experienced Account Director to develop and expand existing relationships across the financial services sector, working with investment firms, asset managers, private equity groups and strategic partners to deliver intelligent cyber consulting and a bespoke Cyber product offerings. You will act as a trusted advisor, helping organisations strengthen digital resilience, manage third-party and regulatory risk and adopt a proactive approach to cyber assurance. Key Responsibilities Manage a defined portfolio of financial clients, understanding business priorities and aligning tailored cyber solutions. Drive new client engagement while nurturing existing partnerships through a consultative, long-term approach. Present the benefits of advanced cyber services including threat intelligence, vulnerability management, incident readiness, and continuous risk monitoring. Collaborate with technical and delivery teams to ensure smooth engagement from proposal through to implementation and ongoing support. Prepare proposals, negotiate commercial terms, and clearly articulate value and business outcomes. Build trusted relationships at senior and board level. Ideal Profile Strong background in cybersecurity, consulting, or risk management within financial services. Skilled communicator with proven success managing and growing key accounts. Able to translate complex technical insight into commercial and strategic value for clients. Confident engaging with senior stakeholders and decision makers. Please note: Sponsorship is not available.
-
- SOC Analyst- Level 2- Hybrid Greater London
- London
- N/A
-
SOC Analyst- Level 2- Hybrid Greater London New opportunity created through continued growth. We’re looking for a SOC Analyst (Level 2) to strengthen a growing managed security team. You’ll work hands-on with Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR, investigating alerts, responding to incidents, and helping improve how clients stay protected. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys unravelling security events, thinking critically under pressure, and making a real difference day to day. What you’ll do · Investigate and respond to security activity across SIEM and endpoint tools · Analyse network and log data to uncover real threats · Support automation initiatives to streamline response processes · Help maintain visibility, data flow, and performance across SOC platforms What you’ll need · Practical experience using Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR · Confident working with KQL or similar query languages · Understanding of attacker tactics and response techniques · SC-200 certifications would be nice. · Experience supporting multiple customer environments Please note: Sponsorship is not available.
-
- Senior SOC Engineer - UK - New role due to growth
- London
- N/A
-
Senior SOC Engineer – New role due to growth We are hiring a Senior SOC Engineer to take the lead across security operations for a growing managed service. You will lead detection, response and onboarding activity across multiple clients, helping shape how the SOC evolves. Expect variety; from fine-tuning alerts and threat hunting to supporting customers and mentoring junior analysts. What you’ll bring · Strong experience across SIEM, EDR, and threat detection tools · Confident working with customers in a managed service environment · Skilled in scripting or query languages such as KQL or PowerShell · Knowledge of frameworks like NIST, ISO27001, MITRE ATT&CK · Calm communicator with a problem-solving mindset · Experience with Azure Lighthouse or delegated access models · Prior involvement in automation or SOC improvement projects Location: South East England- Hybrid role Please note: Sponsorship cannot be offered now or in the future.