Your wireless network isn’t as safe as you thought it was. Wi-Fi, the wireless data transfer technology practically all of us use on a daily basis, is in trouble.

Security researcher Mathy Vanhoef has discovered a serious flaw, that he’s calling KRACK, in the WPA2 protocol that secures almost every modern Wi-Fi network. The vulnerability could allow hackers to inject malware into websites, or spy on people by reading information that was until now assumed to be encrypted.

Android, Apple, and Windows software are all said to be affected by KRACK attacks on some level.

The flaw is also present in the earlier, WPA security protocol, and with any encryption suite, including WPA-TKIP, AES-CCMP, and GCMP.

The vulnerability is extremely dangerous. An attacker could use it to decrypt some or all traffic from a network, including your passwords, credit card numbers, metadata such as cookies etc. In some cases, an attacker could be able to inject malicious data directly into the traffic, like adding malware to a (normally safe) website you’re visiting.

Depending on the encryption protocols one uses, the attack can range from bad to worse; in some cases, an attacker will only be able to decrypt your traffic. In others, they’ll be able to essentially take over your connection, forging and injecting packets as they please.

The Wi-Fi alliance, which certifies Wi-Fi devices, says that “there is no evidence that the vulnerability has been exploited maliciously.” It also adds that the issue “can be resolved through straightforward software updates.” Now, we just need to wait for those software updates to arrive.

A little piece - Be careful how you connect to Free WiFi in cafes, hotels, churches, etc. A hacker might just be on the standby ready to steal your details.

CC: mkmyers45, UjSizzle

SOURCE:
https://jimlovetm.com/1017-tech-experts-says-secure-wifi-networks-are-no-longer-safe