The Computer Emergency Response Team for India (CERT-In) has issued a warning saying, “WiFi Networks in India are weak in defense against brute-force attacks by hackers”. Computer analyst at CERT-In have zeroed-in on possible attacks via WPS or WiFi Protected Setup mechanism. WPS is routinely used in Indian homes to securely & easily setup wireless networking within homes & small offices. However, “WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) contains a design error that could allow a weaker-than-expected defense against brute-force attacks, which could allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access to the affected system,” warned CERT-In. CERT-In is a national agency that keeps a tab on computer security incidents & works directly under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
How does the Attack take place?
An unauthenticated, remote attacker within range of the Wireless Point i.e. your router, can use the PIN to gain unauthorized access to the device & retrieve the password for the wireless network. The attacker can the change the configuration of the device to use it as a virus bot or simply have a free internet session billed to your account.
The PIN is the heart of the WPS technology & usually consists of 8 Digits. If a device supports connectivity through WPS, users have simply switch on WiFi on the device & press the WPS switch usually present behind the WiFi router. Upon entering the PIN, the device gets connected to the WiFi router. However, a brute-force attack on the WiFi routers, which the Dept. claims, “do not implement any kind of lockout policy for brute-force attempts, which greatly reduces the time to perform a successful attack” can render the device compromised.
At present we can recommend two simple steps to thwart the attack:
- Make sure you have the WiFi router centrally located in the house to minimize the signals being broadcasted outside.
- Enter your WiFi Setting (usually http://192.168.0.1) & disable WPS access. Meanwhile, “The combat mechanisms are being deployed,” a computer security analyst with a government agency said.
Last year, it was reported that 20,000 hotspots were assumed to develop throughout India as O-Zone Network and Alcatel Lucenta tied-up together.
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