{"id":179261,"date":"2017-10-18T15:57:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-18T20:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ntegrait.com\/have-you-been-kracked-important-read-on\/"},"modified":"2017-10-18T15:57:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-18T20:57:00","slug":"have-you-been-kracked-important-read-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ntegrait.com\/have-you-been-kracked-important-read-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Have You Been \u201cKRACKed?\u201d\u00a0 Important\u2013Read On!"},"content":{"rendered":"
KRACK is a bug that can affect any device with Wi-Fi capabilities. However, the news isn\u2019t all bad. There are silver linings that come from any catastrophe. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cybercriminals are trying to get your devices \u201chooked on\u201d KRACK (the Key Reinstallation Attack)\u2013It\u2019s a flaw in the WPA2 protocol, the security used on wireless networks.<\/p>\n Since 2006, WPA2 has been used on all certified Wi-Fi hardware. It\u2019s meant to protect the Wi-Fi connection between your computer and router by encrypting traffic using the most updated standards. What this means is simple: Your data is encrypted so anyone who sees your traffic can\u2019t understand it because it\u2019s a bunch of \u201cmumbo-jumbo.\u201d That is until now.<\/p>\n KRACK can \u201ccrack\u201d your security and read your traffic (like your confidential personal and business data). Just when you think you\u2019re safe, something else comes along to threaten your business.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0Here\u2019s the \u201cGood, Bad, and Ugly\u201d on KRACK.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Good: You May Be Ok, for Now.<\/strong><\/p>\n For those of you who like getting the good news first, here it is:<\/p>\n This is good news because it means that a hacker can\u2019t carry out an attack over the internet from a distance, but must be physically present and within range of a network.<\/p>\n Plus, only one network can be exploited at any given time by one hacker. This inconvenience is your saving grace: A hacker can only attack after a lot of thought and preparation beforehand. So, for most of us, we\u2019re likely out of the \u201cbulls\u2019 eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Golden Rule Revisited: Stay Off Public Wi-Fi<\/strong>. <\/strong>KRACK re-enforces what you\u2019ve been told over and over again: Don\u2019t use public Wi-Fi. It\u2019s not secure. It makes it all the more easy for a hacker to go to the local coffee joint and hack into your devices.<\/p>\n Anyone who uses Wi-Fi is susceptible. That said, a successful attack on your device may be difficult to execute. Even if successful, the reward to the hacker may be limited. If someone wants to exploit this bug to hack into your device, it would demand a lot of preparation to the point where it may not be worth it.<\/p>\n This bug confirms what we have always known:\u00a0<\/strong>Don\u2019t Use Public Wi-Fi!<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bad: The Harm Can Still Potentially Affect You.<\/strong><\/p>\n Everyone knows crack is bad for you, even if they consume it, they still know it\u2019s bad. KRACK, likewise, is bad. But unfortunately, it\u2019s not a choice, unless your choice is to live without the devices that make our lives so much more convenient.<\/p>\n Although you\u2019re likely not a target of a KRACK hacker, a problem still remains: There\u2019s a serious flaw in our devices\u2019 security technology. Patches for the bug are required, but they weren\u2019t immediately available.<\/strong> However, hours after news of KRACK was made public, Microsoft had a patch already created, while Apple and others quickly followed with their own patch. ( If you use an Android device, Netgear or other brands, you may still be waiting for a patch.)<\/p>\n As said, KRACK is a weakness in the WPA2 system. When the WPA2 system is weakened, a hacker can get into it, and from that access point can either eavesdrop on your traffic that\u2019s now unencrypted, or insert ransomware or malware to compromise your computer, iPhone, or other devices.<\/p>\n We\u2019re just learning about KRACK,\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>when manufacturers have known about it for an entire month!<\/strong><\/p>\n But access to a patch for your own devices isn\u2019t the only problem or, for that matter, patching isn\u2019t necessarily a solution to the problem. Does Equifax ring a bell?<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s right. A lot of large companies have your confidential information. The likely target of a KRACK hacker is a big company. If a hacker can get into a company\u2019s network, then access to volumes of private information can be stolen. If your information is included, then you have a battle on your hands to protect your identity, finances, and everything else that matters in the digital world we now inhabit.<\/p>\n The Internet of Things (IoT)\u2013That was our future. A convenient interconnection of all our devices and appliances via the Internet\u2013Where computing devices are embedded into everyday objects so they\u00a0 can send and receive data. Are you low on milk? Your refrigerator can send you a text. Are you stuck in the middle of traffic and want the stove turned on or off?\u00a0 Just tell it to do so via your phone. It\u2019s nice having your security camera system, too, right? You can logon and see what\u2019s happening in and around your house. These are all conveniences that we appreciate and can use to our benefit.<\/p>\n But we should wait a minute and reflect. The Internet of Things and all that makes it beautiful is now a possible threat. It could be years before any of these items get their own patches.<\/strong> What\u2019s more, you may not even realize they need a patch. Imagine if someone intercepted your Internet of Things devices, say your garage door opener\u2013That\u2019s right, the hacker can now access your home conveniently and secretly, especially if they also hacked into your security camera system.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t to say all your devices connected to Internet of Things are vulnerable (though they are); but KRACK highlights the deeply flawed security network for the Internet of Things.<\/p>\n KRACK reminds us that everything digital can be hacked\u2013And once all our things become connected and digital, we can be hacked, exploited, and victimized. Every rose indeed has its thorn. We try to make life a little simpler, and we just make it more complicated.<\/strong><\/p>\n The ugly though, is always about perspective and innovation. The tech industry has taken note of the problem KRACK revealed. Auto-updates and other measures are being assessed so that when KRACK or other bugs occur, countermeasures can quickly be put into place to reinforce security and reduce threats. These measures, however, are not currently in place, that\u2019s the ugliest part of the problem but also an indication of a hope for a solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KRACK is a bug that can affect any device with Wi-Fi capabilities. However, the news isn\u2019t all bad. There are silver linings that come from any catastrophe. \u00a0 Cybercriminals are trying to get your devices \u201chooked on\u201d KRACK (the Key Reinstallation Attack)\u2013It\u2019s a flaw in the WPA2 protocol, the security used on wireless networks. Since…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":158415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-179261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
The Ugly: The Future of the Internet of Things is in Question.<\/h2>\n