If you utilize a Wi-Fi network, you are vulnerable to being hacked even when utilizing passwords and encryption, according to researchers in the U.K.

The hack attack is called “Krack.” And it’s very dangerous.

“It seems to affect all Wi-Fi networks, it’s a fundamental flaw in the underlying protocol, even if you’ve done everything right [your security] is broken,” Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey’s Center for Cyber Security told the London Telegraph.

Standard security procedures won’t work, either. Changing passwords, for example, is not a sufficient step.

What will work is updating your hardware.

“Changing the password of your Wi-Fi network does not prevent (or mitigate) the attack. So you do not have to update the password of your Wi-Fi network,” the researchers say.

“Instead, you should make sure all your devices are updated, and you should also update the firmware of your router. After updating your router, you can optionally change the Wi-Fi password as an extra precaution.”

The meaning of Krack

Krack refers to what the researchers call “key reinstallation attacks,” or KRACKS.

They call the vulnerability a “serious weakness” through which hackers can “read information that was previously assumed to be safely encrypted. This can be abused to steal sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, chat messages, emails, photos, and so on. The attack works against all modern protected Wi-Fi networks. Depending on the network configuration, it is also possible to inject and manipulate data. For example, an attacker might be able to inject ransomware or other malware into websites.”

How do you fight back?

Read details about Krack at:

https://www.krackattacks.com/

Watch a video demo of an attack at: