Seeing the Unseen: The REVEAL Protocol to Catch the Wireless Man-in-the-Middle

In this demonstration, we show a simple, yet effective protocol that detects a wireless Man-in-the-middle (MitM). The proposals that address this classic problem of detecting the MitM in wireless networks typically use knowledge of the attack vectors, rely on fingerprinting methods, and are exclusive to the communication technology. The REVEAL protocol is not so restricted. It poses specific timing-based challenges that force the MiTM to reveal itself, be it half, full, or double full duplex. As a prerequisite, we show that a MitM cannot interfere with the underlying clock synchronization process without getting detected. We demonstrate the capability of the REVEAL protocol to detect MitMs in a 4G/5G network, for which we have built half-duplex, full-duplex, and double-full duplex MitM. Our designs of MitM and REVEAL protocol are publicly available.