A group of researchers from the University of Indiana have demonstrated how easy it is for cybercrooks to hijack Wi-Fi access points and spread malware. Most disturbing is how fast attacks can spread. In large metropolitan areas such as Manhattan in New York, roughly 55 percent of access points would be subverted within 2 weeks of an initial attack. The upside to all of this is that Wi-Fi hijacking is fairly simple to prevent.
According to surveys, only 2 out of 5 people who have a wireless router in their home use a lock or some method of encryption to keep others from using the access point. Simply using a lock on the router would dramatically lower the risk of a widespread Wi-Fi attack. The other big risk factor is that most people don’t change the default password when a newly purchased router is setup. This makes it very easy for hackers to gain access, but also simple to fix. Some of the blame here lies with the manufacturers though. Even if you do change the password, the majority of routers don’t have any lockout mechanism to prevent repeated password guessing.
The lesson should be simple here. When you buy a router or any in-home Wi-Fi device, change the password and use your Wi-Fi lock. It’s takes all of 30 seconds and you’ll be well on your way to preventing hackers from jacking your wireless bandwidth for malicious purposes.
via bbc
(Image Credit: ioerror)