Wireless and security analysts say an accidental oversight that denies wireless service, rather than a malicious attack, is more likely to occur on Super Bowl Sunday. For example, in a 2006 playoff game between the Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars in New England, "radio chatter from Patriots security staff was interfering with the Jaguars' primary coach-to-quarterback wireless system," forcing the Jaguars to use their backup system, according to the NetworkWorld article. The NFL deemed that the interference was accidental—the Patriots' security department had installed a new frequency on their two-way radios, the article reported, which was the same one used by the Jaguars coach-to-QB system, but forgot to tell the NFL frequency coordinators.

Allegations of stealing signals have a long history in sports, including the NFL. Earlier in the season, the league fined the Patriots $250,000 and head coach Bill Belichick $500,000 for illegally videotaping the New York Jets' coaches signaling to their players on the field.

Interceptions and Turnovers: When Bad Guys Use Illegal Tech Tools

Jeffrey Stern, vice president of business development at security vendor Koolspan and a wireless security expert, says that there are GSM and CDMA intercept devices, which function just like police scanners of yesteryear, that allow people to listen in on conversations on cellular networks. The equipment costs as little as $450, can be found on Google and is illegal in the United States, Stern says. (An account of a notorious Greek wiretapping scandal, in which 100 high-level Greek politicians' cell phones were tapped, illustrates just how far evil-doers will go to get at privileged communications.)

In theory, then, a bad actor could use this type of surveillance equipment to eavesdrop on any cellular communications at the game. "Most of these models are noninterfering with the cellular systems and they appear passive to the network," Stern says. "Of course this equipment is illegal to possess and operate in this country, with fines and jail time. But if we're talking about bad guys, then that's the kind of stuff bad guys use."

Patriots' opponents have been trying to get inside the head of New England quarterback Tom Brady all year long. But what if someone (say, a Giants employee or fan, or ingenious hacker) was able to get inside or disrupt the wireless connection that Brady has with Josh McDaniels, the Patriots offense coordinator who calls the plays in to Brady?

In the NFL, offenses have 40 seconds to call a play, get the right players onto the field, line up and snap the football. For the Patriots, McDaniels' voice is wirelessly transmitted to Brady's helmet (one-way only) for the first 25 seconds, and then it's cut after that by an NFL employee for the last 15 seconds. (The green dot on a quarterback's helmet signifies that it has wireless capabilities.)