The article talks about the five most dangerous attacks on wireless networks, how they work, and what happens to users when they happen. To help you understand the risks and take steps to protect your data, it also tells you how to make your Wi-Fi security better.
A Wi-Fi attack is when someone tries to break into your router to get to your data or use your Internet for their own reasons. Anytime someone wants to attack, so it's important to keep your router safe by making changes to its settings and software to get rid of holes. A few easy steps will keep your router and network safe.
Why do bad guys break into Wi-Fi?
To steal information or directly hack the router. An attacker can guess the Wi-Fi key, intercept or redirect traffic, and get to your important data, like passwords, by attacking the connection. Cybercriminals can also use your Wi-Fi to do illegal things online.
All the devices on the network are at risk if someone takes over the router. It can control smart home devices, get into computer data to encrypt it and demand a ransom, and even use the router as a botnet to attack other sites. Attacks aren't always done on purpose, though. For example, a family member might try to get around parental controls by getting into your router.
Loss of authenticity
The hacker cuts the link between the router and the client with deauthentication. In WLAN, this is a normal part of the process where a router cuts off an inactive client to save resources. Also, the router makes the client connect through a stronger Wi-Fi signal.
During an attack, the hacker sends the request to shut down, not the router. Once the hacker has the SSID and MAC addresses of both the router and the client, he or she can change the packet data. The hacker's attack will be more effective if they also know the radio channel.
Getting past authentication is a big part of most Wi-Fi attacks. When a client tries to connect to the router again, a hacker can get in the way. They send each other messages to confirm that they know the network password and set up keys for sending data (a "four-way handshake"). This is when the hacker listens in on the data being sent and tries to figure out the Wi-Fi password. This is similar to brute force and Evil Twin attacks, which we will talk about below.
A Denial of Service (DoS) attack can also be made by sending too many deauthentication packets, which stops the connection. A DoS attack can stop smart home devices on a private network from working.
Protected Management Frames (PMF) should be enabled using WPA3 to stop these kinds of attacks. DEAUTH packets are encrypted by PMF so that the client knows they came from a reliable router. Setting up PMF won't help if the client's device doesn't support WPA3, though. You can use PMF with WPA2 on some routers.
Bruteforce attack
A strong Wi-Fi password makes it harder for hackers to guess the password by giving them more time or tools to do so. A weak password is also something that many routers warn you about.
When the hacker breaks the connection in a brute force attack, they try all the possible passwords to figure out what the password is. For the attack to work, you need a computer with a lot of power, which lets you try passwords quickly. A hacker can make the search go faster by using an online service that does this on multiple servers. Dictionary databases with common passwords and character combinations are what a brute force attack is based on.
In an attack, someone changes the default settings to match what they think is the Wi-Fi key. For example, they might make the first letter of the password all capital letters or make half of the password numbers. This makes it a lot easier to figure out a password. For example, it would take years for an attacker to figure out a nine-digit password like "Anton1970" if they had to try every possible mix of letters and numbers. Hackers would be able to get in in less than an hour if they guessed that the password was a name and a year.
Make your password hard to guess to stop an attack. Use special characters instead of words or numbers that you know. For example, "z9!qO6+B§" is a short password that is sure to work. It has 8 to 12 random letters, numbers, and special characters.
Also, make sure you use different passwords for each Internet account. That way, if your provider gets hacked or your data gets leaked, your password won't be used to get into your other accounts.
Hackers made a fake Wi-Fi access point as part of the Evil Twin attack.
When you're in a public place, stop your Windows laptop from automatically connecting to Wi-Fi. This step makes it easier to defend against Evil Twin attacks.
This is how the attack works: An Evil Twin attack is most likely to happen on a public Wi-Fi network, but it can happen at home too. Hackers set up an access point or router that has the same SSID as a real router. Scanning the network is an easy way to find a fake.
With a Wi-Fi honeypot, an attacker can do the same thing. Cybercriminals set up a Wi-Fi hotspot in a place that doesn't have Internet access but isn't obvious because it's not there. For example, they might put in a fake access point with the SSID "Pizzeria" in an Italian restaurant.
As long as the connecting client can connect to the Internet, either attack can be easily done on a laptop or smartphone. If an attacker sets up a fake access point with a stronger signal than the real one, he has a better chance of succeeding. Another way for hackers to get clients to connect to a fake access point instead of the real one is to use a deauthentication attack. An attacker only needs to find a Wi-Fi network that is not protected to get in. If there is a password for the Wi-Fi network, an attacker could show the client a changed login page when they try to connect to get the password.
This is what the hacker wants to do: Hackers who use an Evil Twin attack can see everything a customer does online, like when they enter their passwords for online banking or shopping. Hackers have a lot of time to steal as much data as they need because the attack is usually not noticed right away.
The attack also lets a hacker into the client, where they can look for private files or put malware on the device, giving them more power over it.
The most important thing you can do to avoid an attack is to never enter your passwords online when you're on a public Wi-Fi network. If you have to enter a password, you must be sure that you are connecting to the site securely; the address of the site will start with "https://".
A VPN that connects you to your home router is the best way to protect yourself from attacks on a public Wi-Fi network. All the data you send over the public WLAN is encrypted by the VPN.
Also, don't connect to Wi-Fi networks that don't ask for a password. Also, it's better to stop automatically connecting to WiFi networks that you know. If you don't, the device will automatically connect to any access point nearby that uses a known SSID, even if it isn't real.
Attack on a router: how a hacker takes advantage of weak spots
This is how the attack works: Many types of routers have security holes in the firmware that make attacks easier: Router makers don't programme all the features themselves because most firmware is based on Linux. They also use open source software, which can have bugs.
Another thing is that some manufacturers don't replace old firmware modules that the developer no longer supports. Because firmware security doesn't check or filter changed input, these kinds of security holes let an attacker do things like run any code on a router. This means that the hacker can make the router do what they want, giving them full control over the device. Based on the firmware, the attacker may need to use Wi-Fi to connect to the router or launch an attack from afar.
This is what the hacker wants to do: An attacker can completely take over a router with the help of a vulnerability. They can change settings or turn off the router's security features without being caught. A hacker can take over a router and add it to a botnet. This botnet can then be used to attack other networks, like in a DoS attack, or to send spam messages.
How to stop an attack: Make sure your router's firmware is always up to date. Aside from that, you should often visit the support pages for your router model and check important security sites that list router vulnerabilities.
It's important to always have the latest firmware on your router. In fact, some routers have a setting that will update the firmware automatically.
Attacking the router from afar: connecting to it through the Internet
This is how the attack works: A lot of people have set up their routers so that the Internet can access their settings. Cybercriminals can also find these routers by scanning the networks around them, since most remote access is done through standard ports like port 443.
This is what the hacker wants to do: he changes settings in the menu that let him work with the router. So, he can add the router to a botnet or change the DNS settings so that connected devices go to his server instead of the router. This lets him steal passwords or put malware on the home network.
To stop an attack, make sure that only people you really need can access your router remotely. A strong password is a must if you want to get into the router menu.
A user account for remote access should be separate from the account for local access. This should be possible to set up on the router.
To make things safer, you can usually set a range of IP addresses so that only devices with the right IP address can connect to the router from outside the network. A lot of routers also stop people from logging in after a certain number of failed attempts or make the timeout last longer after each failed attempt.
In conclusion
Data safety is very important in the digital world. An important part of digital security is being aware of attacks that could happen on your wireless network and knowing how to keep yourself safe.
The article told you about the five most dangerous attacks on Wi-Fi and gave you ways to make your network safer. Using strong passwords, VPNs, and staying away from public Wi-Fi networks when you don't have to is one of the best ways to protect your personal information and devices from attacks and access by people who shouldn't have it. To stay safe in the ever-changing world of cyber threats, make sure you keep your systems up-to-date and learn about new threats and security techniques.
Comments 0