| FBI issues wireless security warning
The FBI says that it has ‘recently learned that the basic protection against intruders — Wireless Encryption Protocol, or WEP — is increasingly vulnerable to accomplished hackers.’ This information came from one of the members of the FBI’s longstanding InfraGard program, which brings together public and private sector security professionals to share breaking information on threats and vulnerabilities, particularly in the cyber world. The member alerted the FBI’s Birmingham, Alabama, office about computer hackers in Europe who have developed a method for cutting through the security provided by the WEP within a matter of seconds—and who are ready to share that secret with others in the hacking community. “We knew once that information got out — and it most likely would — these vulnerabilities were going to be exploited,” said Paul Daymond, the media representative from the FBI’s Birmingham office who helped coordinate a press conference on the issue recently. “So we wanted to get the word out quickly.” Insecure wireless networks can result in hackers accessing systems via the wireless connection to steal or corrupt data, or hijacking the computer system to, for example, send spam The FBI recommends that businesses consider changing wireless security from WEP to a more secure protocol, such as WPA2, TKIP, or AES.
•Date: 11th May 2007 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: Warnings
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