Hi all,
You may have heard about the new Krack vulnerability that is in the news. The question is should you be worried about it? The answer is YES but don’t go mad!
This vulnerability has been discovered by researchers at a Belgium University. More information on the vulnerability can be found at this website.
The research has shown that the most widely used security protocol for WiFi called Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) has a vulnerability or flaw which could allow someone within reach of your WiFi device or network to read your data being passed over WiFi protected by WPA2.
The vulnerability is present in end WiFi devices (smartphones, laptops, computers, tablets, WiFi security camera’s) AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE!
There’s no known exploitation happened yet but it’s only a matter of time before someone discovers one.
The key thing to note here is that ANY device using WPA2 protocol is at risk and will need the software upgrading ONCE the suppliers have fixed the problem.
The manufacturers are all aware of this problem and are making available patches for their devices as soon as possible.
For example Microsoft quietly released a security patch on 10th October 2017 to fix this problem in all supported versions of Windows (i.e. Windows 7, 8 and 10. Apple will release a fix for their iPhones in IOS 11.1 maybe. (Edit: this exploit has been resolved in iPhone/iPad operating system IOS v11.1 (15B93))
However, even with manufacturers fixing operating systems, the core of WPA2 protocol is buried in WiFi manufacturers hardware drivers. True resolution will only occur once ALL the WPA2 infrastructure code has been patched to resolve the issues.
The message I’d send out to people is make sure your WiFi devices get updated as fixes become available and if you are doing security stuff like Internet Banking then try not to use WiFi. Call if you are concerned.
Alan Sinclair-Brown is an IT Professional with over thirty years’ experience in managing, deploying and fixing computer systems. He is passionate about helping people and small businesses make the most of their investment in IT technology.