Recently, a new technique was discovered using which the PMKID (Pairwise Master Key Identifier) from a router using WPA/WPA2 security can be retrieved easily. Using it, it’s easy to crack the wireless password of the router. Until this discovery, it would require an attacker to wait for a user to log into a network and capture a full authentication handshake. This new method allows the breach with only a single frame which the attacker can request from the access point just because it’s a regular part of the protocol.

The new method

This new method was discovered by Jens “atom” Steube – the developer of the popular password cracking tool Hashcat when looking for new ways to crack WPA3 wireless security protocol. According to Steube, this method is able to work against all the routers that use 802.11i/p/q/r networks with roaming (enabled).

This method extracts the RSN IE (Robust Security Network Information Element) from a single EAPOL frame. The RSN IE is the optional field that contains the PMKID that the router generates when a user tries to authenticate.

If you didn’t know, this PMK is a crucial part of the 4-way handshake in-between the client and the router that ensures that the client knows the wireless password (PSK – Pre-shared Key) of that network.

For knowing in details the procedures of the hacking, head to Steube’s poast on Hashcat forum.

How long to crack the WPA/WPA2 wireless key?

Well, the method that Steube discovered makes it relatively a lot easier to get your hand on that hash that contains the PSK, but cracking the hash is still a thing. Depending on the complexity of the password, the time for cracking the key is still a long time.

Unfortunately, many users don’t change the default password that comes up with the router and they seem not eager to do so. In fact, in cases they even lack the technical knowledge to perform the action. According to Steube, if the users continue to use the manufacturer generated PSK, it makes it relatively easy to perform the attack on a large group of WPA users.

Certain manufacturers create password that are easily determinable. Using programs Hashcat, the cracking of the password is just a matter of time. Steube states that the AP mac address and the pattern of the ESSID allows an attacker to even identify the manufacturer of the router without having physical access to it. A typical manufacturer PSK of length 10 characters can take up to 8 days to crack on a 4 GPU box. That’s too fast, to be honest!

Protecting your router from being cracked

For properly safeguarding your router, it’s time that you take action to make it safe. It’s not something big, rocket science; all you have to do is change the password! Depending on the manufacturer of your router, you can find out lots of useful tutorials on changing your password. Don’t forget to use a strong one! Check out if your password is strong on LastPass.

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How Wi-Fi works

Wi-Fi works using radio wave signals that emit around. Anyone intercepting those signals can read the data. That’s why security measures were taken to ensure that data transmission is protected. The security protocol was called WPA2. WPA2 is an expansion of WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) that provided improved and powerful data encryption and data transfer.

Wi-Fi transmitted data encrypted with a unique encryption key per device. WPA2 used a method called “4-way handshake” with the client device to determine the encryption key. Unfortunately, it had a serious flaw in the mechanism, discovered in October 2017. This serious bug, codenamed “KRACK”, simply broke Wi-Fi. KRACK allowed hacked to access user data without any access to the Wi-Fi network. Fortunately, companies like Microsoft, Google, and Apple patched the bug in their software.

Why we need WPA3

With so many bugs, WPA2 is really obsolete. The Wi-Fi Alliance, a clutch of companies who certify products as capable of data transmission over Wi-Fi, is working on an improved security protocol, called WPA3.

This is a big switch. WPA2 has been around for 14+ years! That’s a very old protocol. Now, we’re on our way to WPA3. There’s been tons of new features and advanced methods included to ensure the top-notch security and robust performance.

What’s inside WPA3?

Let’s take a look.

• Better handshake method. The previous “4-way handshake” contained severe flaws. Now, the new, improved handshake method will provide impenetrable security.
• A better & simplified process for configuring security for devices having limited/no display interface.
• Robust protection without following the typical password complexity recommendation.
• A 192-bit security suite connected with CNSA (Commercial National Security Algorithm) to ensure even stronger security.
• Improved protection against brute-force attack. This attack tries every possible combination to get access to the access point. New security measure will block an attacker after many failed password guesses.
• Individualized data encryption to scramble the connection between each device on the network and the router. This will ensure that no one can manipulate data.
• Fixes to common Wi-Fi issues. Wi-Fi currently contains a number of security issues that need to be taken into account when accessing any public Wi-Fi. WPA3 seeks to fix these issues.

WPA2 is pretty old for the current age. WPA3 is on its way. However, it’s not anytime soon. WPA3 enabled devices might be available later this year. What about the present devices? Unfortunately, it’s at the mercy of the manufacturers. It’s unknown if current devices can apply WPA3 protocol via the firmware update, but there’s a scope for it.

We all are waiting for the new WPA3 standard. Security is a serious issue now, and improved protection methods are the only way to ensure protection against critical vulnerabilities.

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