New Wi-Fi Vulnerability Enables Network Eavesdropping via Downgrade Attacks
May 16, 2024
Vulnerability / Network Security
Researchers have discovered a new security vulnerability stemming from a design flaw in the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard that tricks victims into connecting to a less secure wireless network and eavesdrop on their network traffic. The SSID Confusion attack , tracked as CVE-2023-52424, impacts all operating systems and Wi-Fi clients, including home and mesh networks that are based on WEP, WPA3, 802.11X/EAP, and AMPE protocols. The method "involves downgrading victims to a less secure network by spoofing a trusted network name (SSID) so they can intercept their traffic or carry out further attacks," Top10VPN said , which collaborated with KU Leuven professor and researcher Mathy Vanhoef. "A successful SSID Confusion attack also causes any VPN with the functionality to auto-disable on trusted networks to turn itself off, leaving the victim's traffic exposed." The issue underpinning the attack is the fact that the Wi-Fi standard does not require the network na...
