There has been a warning from the US Department of Homeland Security last Monday with regards to cyber-related risks with Wi-Fi communications. A Belgian hacker has disclosed about a flaw that could allow hackers to read encrypted information or infect websites.
DHS Computer Emergency Response Team said that this flaw could be used within Wi-Fi range using the WPA2 protocol in order to hijack private communications. Due to this, they have recommended to update affected products that are affected such as routers provided by Cisco Systems Inc or Juniper Networks Inc.
The brilliant men behind the discovery of this flaw are Belgian Researchers Mathy Vanhoef and Frank Piessens of Belgian university KU Leuven. They are the ones who have disclosed of the WPA2 bug which is used to secure Wi-Fi systems. Mobile phones, laptops, other internet connected devices, routers or hot-spots are just a few to in this wide list of devices that might get affected.
Well, basically, if your device is Wi-Fi capable, it might get compromised. They said on the www.krackattacks.com, website, which they set up to provide technical information about the flaw and methods hackers might use to attack vulnerable devices.
It is not yet known up to what extent of difficulty it would be for hackers to exploit this bug or if has already been used to launch an attack.
The Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry group that represents hundreds of Wi-Fi technology companies, said the issue “could be resolved through a straightforward software update.” Members of the group have been advised to release patches for their devices and recommend that consumers install those security updates for their own security and peace of mind.
