Stealing data via proximity - CAPTA

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Can design shield us in a fully connected world?

Exploring how physical shielding and material design can reduce the exposures created by constant connectivity and the wireless systems that follow our devices everywhere.

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The connected everyday

In today’s world, online and offline merge into a continuous stream. Personal devices turn cafés, metro rides, and coworking spaces into zones of potential exposure. From mobile payments and public Wi-Fi to hidden radio signals, the modern urban individual carries far more than a bag: they have identity, data, and history. Yet physical protection is almost entirely missing.

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The Invisible Enemy We Carry

Connected devices constantly emit signals that can be intercepted and monitored. Bluetooth scans, NFC skims, and fake Wi-Fi access exploit this always-on connectivity, turning convenience into vulnerability. Digital security today goes beyond passwords and firewalls; it requires attention to space, mobility, and the unseen intrusion of wireless signals. Faraday cages, once confined to high-security labs, can now become wearable, everyday objects, merging protection with fashion and daily life.

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Bridging Design and Protection

The goal was to create an accessory that doesn’t shout “security gear” but functions as a subtle, elegant, urban lifestyle object, called CAPTA. It is the first Faraday-enabled accessory line designed for real-life urban environments, including crowded public spaces, metros, and airports. 

🪡 Made from Faraday textile woven with conductive fibers, it creates a protective shield against radio frequency signals, forming a safe bubble around devices. Simply placing a phone, tablet, or card in the bag blocks unwanted scanning, contactless theft, and signal-based attacks such as bluesnarfing or skimming. This protection moves with the rhythm of daily life, giving control over when and how information is connected.

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Why Fashion Needs to Speak Hardware

The existing market for Faraday-enabled accessories reveals three main challenges:

🕵️ Most products are purchased only by those already aware of signal hacking, leaving wider audiences unprotected. 

✨ Many options neglect aesthetics, appearing bulky, purely technical, or unspecialized, while usability often suffers. 

🚫 If a bag looks like a security device or makes accessing a phone or laptop difficult, people simply won’t carry it. 

CAPTA addresses these gaps by balancing effective protection with elegance, usability, and style, turning security into a lifestyle choice rather than a compromise.

Credits:

Granese Gaia / Polverino Roberta / D'Angelo Luciana / Di Fabio Angela / Maciel De Assuncao Lucas / Reina Torres Leidy Daniela


The project was realized as part of the Fashion Craft course within the Master’s Degree in Design for the Fashion System at Polimi.