Evolve Your Communications With 3CX Phone System
KRACK Attack Targets WiFi Networks
As you all may have heard there is a new hack called KRACK that surfaced this week that is targeting a security protocol at the heart of most modern Wi-Fi devices. Here at ADS we take this very seriously and wanted to provide some information, keep you informed of what we are doing and what you can do to protect your devices and network from this attack.
If we do not manage your router or network and you are concerned contact us now so we can see how we can help. Contact Us Now.
What is the KRACK Attack?
KRACK is a hack that creates serious vulnerability in the WPA2 encryption protocol. Most devices and routers currently rely on WPA2 to encrypt your WiFi traffic.
An attacker can intercept some of the traffic between your device and your router. If traffic is encrypted properly using HTTPS, an attacker can’t look at this traffic. Attackers can’t obtain your Wi-Fi password using this vulnerability. What they can do is look at your unencrypted traffic. This vulnerability is like sharing the same WiFi network in a coffee shop or airport.
What are we doing to protect your network and the items we manage on your network?
For the last 2 days, ADS has been updating the firmware on all Wireless routers that we manage and pushing out patches to protect your wireless network from this KRACK Attack as manufacturers make them available.
Windows has pushed out an update to secure computers from this KRACK attack. Our monitoring system will automatically push this update to your computers if we manage the computer.
What are we doing to protect your network and the items we manage on your network?
-
Update Your Devices - Make sure that any device; laptops, phones, tablets etc that we do not manage, are updated with the most up to date software.
-
Keep Your Computers On At Night - Please make sure you do not turn off the computers that we manage at night so that the Windows Updates can be pushed out to your computers and can run over night.
-
Look At Your Router - If we do not manage your router, make sure that your routers firmware is updated.
If the router has been supplied by your Internet Service Provider, ask the company when their router firmware will be updated and patched. If they don’t have an answer, keep asking. You can make sure your router is up-to-date by browsing the administration panel. Find the user guide for your ISP-branded router and follow the instructions to connect to the admin pages.
Click here for a list of Manufacturers that have a patch available for KRACK WiFi Vulnerablilty
-
Use Ethernet - If your router doesn’t yet have a fix, and you don’t have a patched WiFi access point that could be used for wireless instead, you could Ethernet into your router and turn off its wireless function until it’s patched (assuming WiFi can be disabled on your router). Turn off WiFi on your device as well so that you’re sure all traffic goes through that sweet Ethernet cable.
-
Consider Using Cellular Data On Your Phone - Your phones and tablets don’t have an Ethernet port. If you want to make sure nobody is watching your traffic, disable WiFi on your device and use cellular data instead. This isn’t ideal if you live somewhere with a spotty network, pay extra for mobile data, or if you don’t trust your telecom provider.
-
What About Internet-Of-Things Devices - If you own a lot of IoT devices, consider which of those devices pose the most serious risk if unencrypted traffic is intercepted.
The Internet of Things refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs between these objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems. Basically all those cool smarthome items that your whole life revolves around, Nest Thermostat, Nest Cameras, Amazon Eco, Google Home, Sonos Speakers, Smart TV's etc.
Say, for example, you own a connected Nest camera that doesn’t encrypt traffic when you’re on the same WiFi network — well, that could allow attackers to snoop on raw video footage inside your home. EK!
Take action accordingly — e.g. by pulling the most risky devices off your network until their makers issue patches. And be sure to keep an eye on the kinds of devices your kids might be connecting to your home network.
-
DO NOT USE PUBLIC WIFI – No explanation needed here, try to use Cellular data in public places.