Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Popular 'WPA' Wi-Fi Security System Cracked by Expert

by Tim Stevens on November 7, 2008 at 07:56 AM

WPA cracked in 15 minutes or less, or your next router's free
They always knew it could be done; that a hacker with enough time and processing power could watch your WPA-protected wireless network and, eventually, decrypt your precious datas. In under 15 minutes, though? "Inconceivable!" those hypothetical security experts would say -- but they're about to get a lesson from Wi-Fi wizard Erik Tews. He'll be giving a presentation next week at the PacSec Conference in Tokyo, describing the "mathematical breakthrough" that, he says, enables him to crack WPA-TKIP -- which, until now, has been considered one of the most secure ways to keep your Wi-Fi network private -- in 12 to 15 minutes.

There are some limitations, as the data sent from a connected device to the compromised Wi-Fi router is apparently still safe, but anything headed the other way is wide open, and could even be supplanted by bogus bits sent from a Cheetos-munching hacker slouching in a rusty Ford Taurus in the parking lot.

Don't believe us? Tews was the guy able to crack WEP in under a minute last year, ironically advising people to switch to WPA ASAP at the time. We can only assume WPA2 is next.

Tags: erik tews, ErikTews, hack, hackers, PacSec, router, routers, safety, security, wep, wi-fi, wifi, wpa, wpa2

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular