Wi-Fi is a technology many use for their everyday activities. Like every other technology, it is not immune to security vulnerabilities by default.
If there is one thing you should be concerned about while using a Wi-Fi network, it should be your security and privacy.
The majority of Wi-Fi devices are vulnerable to fragattacks ( fragmentation and aggregation attacks). This is a vulnerability that makes it possible for an attacker to steal users’ information from a WiFi network and also attack devices connected to a WiFi network. Fragattacks are a new vulnerability that affects all Wi-Fi devices except those that have been patched.
So, as you connect to your next Wi-Fi network or connect your smart television to the Internet using your home Wi-Fi network, remember that you are prone to at least one Wi-Fi security vulnerability.
What is Wi-Fi?
Wi-Fi is one term many confuse as an acronym. The fact is that Wi-Fi is a brand name and not an abbreviation, as many assume.
Wi-Fi is a wireless network technology that allows us to connect our devices to the Internet without the use of cables.
Therefore, whenever you hear about wi-fi, what should come to mind is a wireless network. That is simply a connection between two or more computers to share data or packets without a wire.
Hardware Devices That Make Wi-Fi Possible
Different hardware devices are designed to make wireless connections possible. These include routers, wireless access point devices, mobile hotspots, wireless network adapters, etc.
Wireless Access Points
These are devices designed to extend Wi-Fi network services to areas in a location where it is weak. Let’s assume you have a wifi network set up in your home, and there are areas in the house where the network is weak. The wireless access point will help you extend the WiFi reach to such areas.
Routers
Most times, wireless routers also act as access points, but they are designed purposely for packet forwarding between different local networks. If you want to communicate with a computer on another network than the one you are using, routers help forward your packets across networks.
Mobile Hotspots and PC Hosted Network Support
A mobile hotspot helps to turn your mobile phone data network into a Wi-Fi network so that others can have access to the internet from it. Hotspots simply mean locations where you can have access to the internet.
You can also create a Wi-Fi network from your laptop computers if they have hosted network support enabled. You can check if hosted network support is enabled on your computer by typing the following commands: “netsh wlan show drivers” on your command prompt in admin mode.
All the above devices are designed to help you connect and communicate with another device without the use of a physical cable.
Wi-Fi Security Issues And How To Prevent Them
1. User Information or Credential Exposure
Without observing some cybersecurity hygiene, a cybercriminal can steal login details from your online accounts while on the same WiFi network.
Stealing your login credentials through Wi-Fi can be done in several ways. One way is through network traffic sniffing. This is a situation where an attacker places his network adapter on monitor mode while connecting to the same network as you; this is to help him sniff all traffic flowing through the network. Once that is done, the attacker can now steal your login details from any traffic that is not encrypted.
Another way is through DNS spoofing. This is a situation where an attacker can predict the website you intend to visit and deliver to you a fake version of the website. So, with the fake website delivered to you, any information you place on the website will be sent to the attacker.
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How to Prevent Credential Theft Through Wi-Fi
a. Don’t Visit HTTP Websites While Using Wi-Fi
To be safe from credential theft through wifi, you need to always pay attention to your browser address bar while visiting a website.
The moment the small padlock that is displayed when you visit HTTPS websites is gone, then you are automatically exposed to credential theft.
Avoid visiting a non-secure website without HTTPS while on a wifi network or logging in to such a website. The reason is that someone might be sniffing the network at that particular moment.
b. Stop Using Public or Open Wi-Fi Networks For Sensitive Online Transactions
Another way to avoid falling victim to credential theft is to avoid running sensitive online transactions like online banking or downloading and uploading files on public Wi-Fi.
By public Wi-Fi, I mean a Wi-Fi network that is open without security, or one that has security but whose password is accessible to the public. Secure WiFi is the one you have to type in a password for before you can use it.
There are situations where the network might be secured with a password, but the password is weak and easy to crack by hackers. The best is to avoid running sensitive transactions on wi-fi, but if you would, use it with a VPN.
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c. Use strong passwords and WPA encryption to protect your personal Wi-Fi.
Whether it is your mobile hotspot or home Wi-Fi network, it is important to protect it with WPA2 or WPA3 security encryption and a very strong password.
Avoid using weak passwords that a hacker can crack easily to plug into your network.
Remember to change your router’s default passwords and name, or SSID. It is a very big mistake to leave it in the default setting.
Also, monitor the clients connected to your network. If you are using hotspots, limit the number of possible connections to the number of devices you have and use.
d. Avoid leaving your device on auto-connect to a network.
Turning on Connect automatically on your device is a bad practice while using Wi-Fi. If your device connects to a particular WiFi network automatically whenever you are within range, it means your auto-connect is on.
This is a bad habit because an attacker can create a rogue network that has the same name or SSID as the one you connect automatically to, and your device will connect to it without your knowledge.
2. Node Device Manipulation On The Wi-Fi Network
We are in the smart home era. Many homes today are filled with IP-controlled IOT devices like CCTV cameras and smart televisions that are connected to the internet.
Due to some Wi-Fi programming flaws, attackers can bypass your Wi-Fi firewall to control other devices connected to the network.
With the smart televisions we use, an attacker can manipulate the television mic to listen to your conversation at home or record your activities at home through your home camera.
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How to Prevent Node Device Manipulation
One way to prevent this is to always update your Wi-Fi device firmware. Running regular updates when they are available will help you prevent some of the programming flaws. On your routers, you can update them by visiting the control dashboard using the gateway IP address.
Always make sure your router firewall is enabled, and also reduce the number of IOT devices you use on your WiFi network at home.
Another way is by changing your Wi-Fi AP band to 5.0 GHz to reduce coverage distance. This will minimize outside connections to your home network.
3. Privacy Leaking
Using Wi-Fi can expose your location. Your network can be collected and uploaded to Wi-Fi Maps websites like Wigle.net through wardriving, warwalking, or warcycling. Wardriving, or warwalking, as the name implies, is simply someone driving or walking around in search of an open WiFi network. This might be using Wigle Wi-Fi and uploading data collected onto the Wigle map.
It is advisable that you turn off your WiFi whenever it is not in use.
