Kaspersky Lab presents the latest analysis of Wi-Fi network security
Kaspersky Lab presents the latest analysis of Wi-Fi network security
The latest piece of research into Wi-Fi network security was carried out by Kaspersky Lab virus analysts at CeBIT, the world's largest IT trade fair, which closed yesterday in Hanover, .
The research was conducted by the company's Senior Virus Analyst Alexander Gostev and Roel Schouwenberg, Senior Research Engineer at Kaspersky BNL. They collected data on approximately 300 access points on the 9th and 10th March, 2006.
The choice of CeBIT as a site for the study wasn't coincidental. Firstly, trade fairs don't only attract IT users, software and hardware manufacturers. Hackers are also attracted by the opportunity to break into the networks of companies taking part in such fairs. Almost all firms which participate in such events set up their own local networks, which often connect to the company's main server. These local networks usually have low security settings, and are set up quickly; these factors increase the risk of hacker attacks. Naturally, one of the main ways of attacking such networks is via Wi-Fi.
Secondly, hackers use trade fairs not just as an opportunity to attack companies; they also target visitors. One example is InfoSecurity London last year, when a group of scammers installed several fake access points, which provided a fake interface to connect to the public network. Unsuspecting users connected, and entered their passwords and other confidential data, and this information was sent directly to the hackers themselves.
The researchers did not attempt to intercept or decrypt any traffic. However, the data collected indicates that even IT professionals don't always pay enough attention to security issues.
The research can be accessed here or via Kaspersky Lab's viruslist.com site.
