The Krack WiFi vulnerability can affect any WiFi network, including home, office and public connections.
“Krack, it allows an attacker within range of a WiFi network to inject computer viruses into it — including secured WiFi connections — and read communications like passwords, credit card numbers and photos sent over the internet,” comments Martin Walshaw, senior systems engineer at F5 Networks.
He points out that an attacker must be within range of the WiFi network to exploit the threat.
“People also need to be aware of subtle differences to keep their connections safe such as paying attention to the URL. Traffic between HTTPS servers will be safe but unprotected sites start with HTTP.
“Still, the vulnerability highlights the challenge of defending a ‘perimeter-less’ network. It is hard to define what we cannot pinpoint, where the traditional data centre ends and begins. With apps now the focus of our connections to the internet, the perimeter must start with the app and end with the data centre.”
To protect against this type of vulnerability, Walshaw suggests that companies implement technologies such as secure socket layer (SSL) VPN and application encryption. “This secures payloads no matter the state of the network infrastructure or security of local WiFi, and bolsters the security of network.”
