Warning About The “KRACK” Attack On Wi-Fi Networks

A new cybersecurity threat, one that targets wi-fi networks, is said to allow hackers to “inject and manipulate data,” including ransomware and other malware, into websites. It’s called “KRACK” (short for “Key Reinstallation AttaCK”), and researchers say it threatens a wide range of devices and operating systems, including Android, Apple, Linux, OpenBSD and Windows. However, says cybersecurity writer Brian Krebs, “As scary as this attack sounds, there are several mitigating factors at work here. First off, this is not an attack that can be pulled off remotely: An attacker would have to be within the range of the wireless signal between your device and a nearby wireless access point.” Nonetheless, according to Krebs, it remains a threat to some systems and it could get worse, and he suggests some ways that technicians can deal with it – the simplest being to connect to your router with a cable. For the technically advanced, this post includes a link to the key research paper on which much of the understanding of the KRACK threat is based.