Broadcom Wi-Fi bug turns sweet 16, still lets strangers hijack your router
Chip giant knew about the flaw in 2018, researcher claims, but millions of devices may still be vulnerable..
Chip giant knew about the flaw in 2018, researcher claims, but millions of devices may still be vulnerable.
The short version
- Security researcher Quentin Kaiser disclosed the vulnerability , dubbed "WPSplinter," revealing two bugs in Broadcom's proprietary Wi-Fi implementation that date back to at least 2010.
- An attempted fix arrived eight years later, but Kaiser claims it didn't fully resolve the problem.
- The bugs lie in Broadcom's handling of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), the feature that lets users connect devices to a wireless network without manually entering a password.
What happened
Kaiser found that specially crafted WPS messages could corrupt the router's memory, allowing someone within Wi-Fi range to run their own code on the device. They wouldn't need the Wi-Fi password, and the router's owner wouldn't have to do a thing.
Why it matters
Kaiser demonstrated working exploits against routers supplied by Belgian internet providers Proximus and Orange.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at The Register — Networks via the links above and below.