How to prevent a KRACK attack on your Wi-Fi
How to prevent a KRACK attack on your Wi-Fi
By Francis Navarro,
Komando.com October 18, 2017
If you've been following our Happening Now section, you've most
likely heard of this newly discovered major
vulnerability that affects WPA2, the current protocol of choice
for Wi-Fi security.
It's
a scary flaw since it can allow an attacker to intercept data from a nearby
Wi-Fi network, including passwords, photos, credit card information, private
messages, emails and web activity. Basically, anything that's normally
protected and encrypted by the WPA2 standard.
It
also infiltrates man-in-the-middle attacks that allow an intruder to insert
malicious content such as ransomware to whatever website a connected gadget is
visiting.
What is
KRACK?
The
alarming flaw was nicknamed KRACK - short for Key Reinstallation Attack.
Basically,
this is how it works. An attacker can capture data from a nearby WPA2
protected Wi-Fi network by impersonating it and cloning its MAC address (a MAC
address is a Wi-Fi gadget's unique network identifier).
Gadgets
connecting to the original router can then be forced to connect to the
attacker's clone network first.
Before the flaw was discovered,
WPA2 clients were protected from this switcheroo since
unique keys are required to encrypt each block of data. Simply put, the keys
from the real and the fake network won't match, making the switch
impossible.
However,
KRACK uses a flaw in the WPA2 handshake system that allows the fake
network to reuse the same encryption keys over and over and make them valid
again.
And
because it affects the Wi-Fi standard instead, it persists across every gadget
that uses Wi-Fi but Android and Linux devices are more vulnerable since these
systems don't require a unique WPA2 encryption key each time.
Macs,
Windows PCs and iOS devices are affected to a lesser extent but data from these
clients can still be decrypted.
However,
since KRACK is all about faking an entire network, it can't be used to steal
Wi-Fi passwords nor attack the router itself. It's more useful for stealing
information, man-in-the-middle attacks and spying on network traffic.
How to
protect yourself from KRACK
Well,
KRACK is a really scary flaw indeed and it puts the once-trusted WPA2 security
standard into a precarious position.
Fortunately,
the flaw was disclosed to software and hardware companies back in July, months
before it was publicly disclosed recently. This means patches to fix the flaw
are already being deployed.
Update your gadgets
So
first order of business - make sure you keep all your Wi-Fi enabled gadgets
updated with the latest software available.
For
example, Microsoft already included a security patch for it with October's
Patch Tuesday security fixes so make sure you install those on your Windows
devices as soon as you can.
Apple,
too, although its machines are not severely affected by the KRACK
vulnerabilities, will issue patches in the next few weeks.
Systems
that are the most affected by KRACK are Android and Linux devices. Linux
distros that are patched from the attack are now slowly rolling out as we
speak.
Google
stated that it will have its patches ready in the coming weeks but
unfortunately, as with any Android update, it will be up to the gadget makers
and carriers to roll them out.
Update your router's firmware
Router
manufacturers like Cisco are already making their fixes available for their
affected products. Make sure you check for any firmware update for your router
and update it immediately.
In
fact, although router manufacturers don't tell you, checking for the latest
firmware for your router at least every three months is one essential step in
protecting your network.
Stay away from public Wi-Fi networks
Since
KRACK hackers need to be near a network to clone it, unless one of your
neighbors is a top-shelf hacker, your home Wi-Fi network is likely safe
for now.
What
you need to stay away from, like we always say, are public Wi-Fi networks.
Accessing your personal data through public Wi-Fi networks is bad as it is but
KRACK just makes it worse.
Additionally,
if you own an affected gadget, especially an Android device, that has not been
patched yet, consider turning off its Wi-Fi for now and use cellular data
instead.
Only visit secure websites
If
you don't have any other connection option other than Wi-Fi and you desperately
need to go online, make sure you only visit websites with secure encryption
protocols like HTTPS.
With
this, data that are traveling within the network would at least be shielded
from a hacker's prying eyes. You can use this extension for Chrome, Firefox and
Opera called HTTPS Everywhere to
make your browsing more secure.
FOR ADDED
WI-FI SECURITY, CONSIDER USING A VPN
Another
thing you could do, especially when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network, is to
use a VPN service. It's a good way to hide your internet tracks from would-be
snoops, even KRACK hackers. Here are the best free
VPN services you can try out now.
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