It may sound like something from a comedy show or comic book, but don’t be fooled!
The newly uncovered Wi-Fi security vulnerability is something that potentially affects millions of devices. These attacks can be used to read your internet communications, inject ransomware and malware, steal personal information and other sensitive data, including financial information and passwords.
The vulnerability affects both private and public Wi-Fi networks, specifically targeting the trusted Wi-Fi encryption tool WPA2, which is designed to keep user internet activity private. Although the hacker must be onsite to be able to leverage the vulnerability, this does not mean you are safe.
In order to best protect yourself from threats, it is advisable to regularly check, patch and update your wifi enabled devices. In addition, resetting passwords and upgrading your hardware and software to options that offer more comprehensive security features is advisable.
In businesses, education is a key factor in ensuring that employees are able to detect and report any security vulnerabilities within the organisation and to ensure that employees act in a safe manner online. Although rectification of vulnerabilities and protection from threats comes at a cost, it is almost always significantly less than the business would pay following a security breach.
Security threats are real, they are serious and they aren’t going away any time soon.
Sign up to our Cyber Security Basics mailing list for a bunch of resources that help you to learn more about the potential threats, how they could affect you and how you can act to prevent them.
