Table of contents:
- All modern WiFi networks could be attacked
- Devices from Android 6 are especially vulnerable
- Manufacturers have the solution in their hands
This morning the news broke that the security of our WiFi networks as we know them today has been broken. Researchers today discovered and revealed that a new exploit would allow cybercriminals to read WiFi traffic between wireless access points and devices. These vulnerabilities could affect home and business networks. And at the moment, there would be nothing that users could do to reverse the situation.
The correction would have to come from the hand of the router manufacturers. And although Windows computers could be affected, it seems that the portion of computers running Android would be quite large. It is believed, in fact, that 41% of the devices that now work with this operating system would be vulnerable to this new virus.
All modern WiFi networks could be attacked
The researchers themselves who have discovered this flagrant security flaw claim that such an attack can affect any type of modern WiFi network. As long as you use a WPA or WP2 encryption system. In that sense, computers with Windows, MacOS, iOS, Linux and Android would not escape being affected.
The attackers would be able to read information that was previously supposed to be encrypted in a secure way. And it would not even be necessary to crack the WiFi password. The device, yes, I would have to be within range of the attacker. If he could access it, he could get passwords, messages, photos, emails, and even credit card numbers.
Devices from Android 6 are especially vulnerable
Researchers say that devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow and higher are especially sensitive to this vulnerability. 41% of computers could be affected by a particularly devastating variant of this WiFi attack.
It appears that attackers could inject ransomware or malware into websites. Hence, these Android computers urgently need security patches to protect against the effects of this virus.
Google has explained to The Verge that they are aware of the problem. And they hope to repair the devices in the coming weeks. This would happen, logically, by the implementation of different updates. We will see them shortly.
Manufacturers have the solution in their hands
Users will be able to do little about it. Faced with this threat, changing the password to access the WiFi will be of little use. It will be the router manufacturers - and the operators, if they have provided it to you - who will be in charge of solving this problem.
And if an update is not enough, the routers will most likely have to be replaced or a chip will need to be swapped. Investigators alerted certain manufacturers to the characteristics of this attack last July.
Hence, many have already got down to work to find a solution as soon as possible. Those who have bought a router at their own risk, especially in business cases, will need to contact the supplier or manufacturer directly.
