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Is Screen Mirroring Safe?

  • BenQ
  • 2022-05-13

In today's connected environment, security breaches can come from unexpected places. In early 2019, Tenable found significant security flaws in multiple wireless presentation systems that exposed company networks to hackers and denial of service attacks. While using traditional HDMI cables is very secure, the cost of putting them through walls, ceilings, and floors is high. Solutions for wireless presentation that enables screen mirroring from your device to a display, on the other hand, offer the ability to have multiple presenters share the screen during a business meeting at a much lower cost. But if the system is not secure and opens the door to having your network hacked, it could be one of the most expensive “cost savings” ever. There are three primary screen mirroring security risks that you should make sure to address when evaluating a wireless screen mirroring system for your business meeting and conference rooms:


  • Corporate Network Security Concern



  • Unprotected Access by Transmitters and Receivers
  • Lack of Data Security


 

Fortunately, there are also easy ways to mitigate these as well. Here are some of the best practices to address these risks and secure your wireless presentations.

 

Corporate Network Security Concern

Some screen mirroring and wireless presentation solutions are built around the corporate network transmitting data from a user’s notebook over the corporate or dedicated Wi-Fi network to a receiver attached to a display. This includes systems like Mersive Solstice and Airtame. Other solutions typically use a proprietary applicaiton loaded on the notebook that tunnels through the network to find the correct receiver. One of the security flaws found was the possibility of having administrator passwords compromised. Combined with the increasing threats of network tunneling malware, protecting your network is becoming ever more important. While administrators can offset this with the use of VLAN technology, doing so places an additional burden on the IT department to manage these extra networks without effectively eliminating the risks.

 

Solution

Look for a system that operates independently of your office network and without the need for proprietary software to reduce the risk of a hacker gaining access to your network via a wireless HDMI receiver or through cloned or rogue software apps. For instance, BenQ InstaShow enables Windows and MacBook screen mirroring in a corporate meeting room without any connection to the main network and without having to load a screen mirroring app. The product creates a private network that encrypts and manages content sent from a device to the receiver. IT managers can utilize corporate LAN to manage these devices if needed, but users cannot bridge from the receiver to the corporate network.

Recommended Product

Wireless Presentation System BenQ InstaShow

Wireless Presentation System WDC10
  • Installation-free, initiative design
  • Compatible with multipal devices

  • Enterprise-level encryption with AES-128 bit

Unprotected Access by Transmitters and Receivers

Many companies are now opening positions for CSO (Chief Security Officers) as more security concerns have arisen, with more hackers looking to get crucial data from company devices, data security getting more vital. Security vulnerability flaw that enabled hackers to gain access to sensitive data which can cause potential threats. The wireless presentation system devices like Airtame and Mersive either do not encrypt any of their data transmissions or do not force the user to have third-party encryption. Besides, Mersive using a self-signed certificate can pose many security challenges. Research from F-Secure has found critical vulnerabilities in Barco's Clickshare wireless presentation system that attackers can exploit. 

 

Solution

For IT managers to choose the safest and most protective device is the number one thing when purchasing meeting room hardware. Encryption is the key to secure wireless presentations. WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3) represents the latest generation in mainstream security for wireless networks. InstaShow WDC-30's hardware security solution passed CC EAL6+ ( ISO/IEC 15408) and FIPS 140-3 woldwide certification, making sure content sent between devices and displays remains in a highly secured environment.

Lack of Data Security

According to WebFX research, cyberattacks cost US companies $15.4 million every year. Likewise, there are millions of data and information transmission instances, especially in financial institutions and technology companies. Data security continues to increase in importance and is a crucial priority, now more than ever before. 

Solution

Wireless presentation systems such as BenQ InstaShow feature 128-bit AES encryption on top of additional security measures as mentioned above. The encryption on its own makes it nearly impossible for hackers and phishing attempts to intrude on the secure mirroring loop between the wireless presentation system, source devices and display. System with high-grade encription protect your data.





Conclusion

While security threats will never go away, the BenQ InstaShow WDC30 takes a practical and effective approach to manage security risks that can impact a wireless HDMI screen mirroring system in corporate meeting rooms. You can download the InstaShow Security White Paper that details how to minimize exposure to a corporate network, eliminating the need for a proprietary app to send content to the display, and encrypting every frame before transmitting. InstaShow is built from the ground up for modern security threats. As one of the leading brands for wireless presentation systems, InstaShow is designed to be initiative and easy to use while safe for your employees and securing with the easy of connecting a single cable.  

Don`t just take our word for it, get a FREE DEMO and try InstaShow for yourself!