KRACK Wi-Fi vulnerability: All You Need to Know

Well, if you are an avid news reader, we are sure you haven’t missed the latest KRACK Vulnerability Attack that has targeted both Windows and Mac users.

KRACK (Key Reinstallation Attack) vulnerability, is an attack that poses major security concerns for people who uses Wi-Fi networks both at their workplaces or homes.

As per researchers, KRACK has influenced both Wi-Fi standards namely WPA2 and WPA1, WPA2 being the most used standard. KRACK attacking WPA2 standards being compromised is a bit concerning as it is said to be the most secure standard of Wi-Fi.

Curious about how it might impact you? You’ve come to the right place. In this piece, we’ll attempt to dispel rumors and help you understand how this vulnerability affects your privacy and security on Wi-Fi networks on Mac.

Also Read: Protect Your Mac In 7 Ways

KRACK attack?

An easy method to spy on your data when you connect to your Wi-Fi, due to the shortcomings in the security protocol of your Wi-Fi connection. Named as KRACK attack, it directly attacks the Wi-Fi protocol without making individual products as targets. This clearly signifies that if you use Wi-Fi on any of your devices, your device is likely to be impacted by KRACK.

And owing to this, attackers can easily use this weakness to snoop on your Wi-Fi traffic.

What’s there for Hackers to snoop on?

With an easy access to the KRACK attack, hackers can view almost everything that you do or share using the Wi-Fi connection. This may include confidential information such as your credit card details, or passwords, chat history and much more.

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How does it work?

Whenever a Wi-Fi client (your machine) attempts to connect to the protected Wi-Fi network, a 4-way authentication process is performed. During the authentication process, both the machine and the network checks if the password and the encryption key are correct. Though the encryption keys are changed frequently, KRACK manages to exchange the same key every time, making the connection susceptible to being cracked.

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What devices are affected?

As stated earlier, all the devices from mobile phones to computers connecting to a Wi-Fi enabled network can be easily affected.

macOS, iOS, Android and Linux devices all have been a victim on the KRACK vulnerabilities.

Also Read: Essential Tips to Increase Mac Security

Is there a way to know whether I’m being snooped on?

Sadly, there isn’t any!

In order to attack your machine, a hacker needs to be present in vicinity of your Wi-Fi network. However, hackers are mainly focusing on large institutions rather than home networks because of the potential gains they are to make because of it.

Is there a way I can patch the KRACK vulnerability?

Device manufactures are soon going to release patches for the vulnerability on their devices. Victims are supposed to install these patches on all of their devices including the wireless routers.

Patches have already been released by Apple for its iOS, watch OS, macOS in the latest developer and public beta updates.

Is there a way I can protect myself?

1. Have all your devices updated to the latest version and any patches for the attack if available are downloaded and installed.
2. In case the latest updates or patches have not been released for your device, an effective solution is to use Ethernet.
3. You can also make use of your data connection.
4. Browse sites that use HTTPS encryption. This is recommended since secured websites cannot be easily breached even if the Wi-Fi connection is breached.
5. Make use of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). However, before choosing any VPN, make sure it is reliable and secure.

Knowing that it is possible to hack almost any information on Internet today, it is advised to keep your data as secure as you can. In case you do not want to be victimized by these hackers, make use of all the preventive measures to save yourself.