Should you actually be worried about the KRACK WPA2 Wi-Fi hack?

How can we protect ourselves?

There are two ends to any connection in this case: the network, and the user device. Newer routers can be, and likely will be, patched. You can check with your router’s vendor for that, when it comes to your home network. Public networks are a tougher question, because that requires the owners of those networks to actually update them, and that’s not always high on the priority list for Ron’s Coffee Shop.

The bright side to this is that it can be entirely mitigated on the client side of things. Even on routers that haven’t been patched, an updated OS will do the job, and that will likely be taken care of before very long. Microsoft, for example, has already issued a security update for the hack, and Linux patches are already rolling out. If you don’t have automatic updates enabled, a quick Windows Update should clear up the issue. It’s likely that Apple and Google are already working on the issue as well. The toughest part of this will be patching the many various versions of Android out there across different manufacturers and carriers.

In the meantime, protecting yourself is pretty simple. If you’re browsing HTTPS websites, you’re fine. Don’t visit sites with expired certificates (your browser will warn you about this), and maybe don’t go to shady parts of the internet on public connections. If you browse using a VPN, as you really should be doing in an ideal world, then you’re covered, as well. Both HTTPS and VPN browsing put another layer of encryption between you and a potential attacker. And if you’re browsing on a public network, make sure your computer sees that network in your operating system’s “Public Network mode,” which causes it to treat unexpected traffic more suspiciously.

The Upshot

Yes, this is a big deal, but no, it’s not the end of the world. Unlike when WEP, the previous wireless encryption protocol, was compromised, this can be patched. We likely won’t see the introduction of WPA3 or some other encryption as a result of this. WPA2 is over a decade old, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see something new soon, but this isn’t it. Keep your wireless devices updated and avoid public wireless signals for a while, and it’ll be fine.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/10/16/wpa2-hacked-krack-wireless/