There is a price that comes with simplicity — and when it comes to security, that price is often increased risk. That’s exactly what is now happening with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), which is intended to be a simple way for consumers to configure security settings on wireless networks at home.
Over the holidays, a detailed white paper was released by security researcher Stefan Viehbock, titled, “Brute Forcing Wi-Fi Protected Setup.” In the paper, Viehbock explains that there are design and implementation flaws in WPS that make it exploitable, leaving wireless networks at risk. The weakness comes by way of the PIN that is used to activate WPS.
“As the External Registrar option does not require any kind of authentication apart from providing the PIN, it is potentially vulnerable to brute force attacks,” Viehbock wrote in his white paper.
Read the full story at eSecurityPlanet:
Exploit of Wi-Fi Protected Setup Flaw Poses Risks for Consumers, Not Enterprises
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist