KRACK Attack

A group of cyber security researchers from Belgium has recently discovered a dangerous new possible threat to smartphone and laptop users: KRACK. The acronym stands for Key Re-installment Attack and it is a form of cyber threat that targets anyone using a WiFi network. As of right now the technique remains a theory and no actual instances have been documented, but one can imagine the damaging widespread effects that an attack using WiFi could have.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/keep-your-wi-fi-off-krack/

The way that the hypothetical attack would work is by targeting a weakness in the WPA2 security system of most WiFi routers. The weakness would allow a hacker within range of the network to create a false duplicate network seemingly identical to the original. The attacker would then likely be able to fool the network user into connecting to their impostor network, at which point they would be able to access information stored on the device being connected. The attackers are able to decrypt information that is protected through encryption with this method fairly easily, especially with Android or Linux software. The group that discovered KRACK performed a demonstration of how the attack could be executed and was able to easily trick a test android smartphone into connecting to their false network.

For now, the KRACK threat remains only a dangerous possibility and has yet to be officially recognized, but the researchers who discovered it will be speaking to groups in November and December to spread knowledge about the dangerous technique. It is the hope that WPA2 security will be able to update and find a way to defend against the KRACK attack before the hypothetical becomes a reality.

Other Source: https://www.krackattacks.com/