It looks like an entirely ordinary conference room — white walls, rectangular table, window overlooking a parking lot. But an Owings Mills company has shielded the space with a kind of electromagnetic invisibility cloak designed to protect it against hackers.
Electronic devices such as printers, cellphones and computers all leak signals — not just Wi-Fi but other telltale emissions — that hackers can use to access corporate networks or gain information about company operations.
But this room traps many of those emissions. The walls are lined with a heavy, tear-resistant foil and the windows are coated with a special film manufactured from more than 20 different metals that reduce signals. The window film also boasts glass-shattering protection and energy efficiency perks.
The features are unusual in office buildings today, but Signals Defense LLC, which sells the products, aims to make them standard fare as the corporate world ramps up defenses against cyberattacks.
