Wi-Fi products still vulnerable to hacking: RSA

MUMBAI: The second annual report of WLAN research commissioned by RSA Security Inc. has revealed the number of wireless networks deployed in businesses across London has grown 300 percent in the past year.

However, security remains slack with an increase in the type of security liabilities, such as wireless-enabled laptops, increasing the risk for businesses to leak unencrypted data into the streets.

With a hand-held scanner, researchers were able to pick up information from company wireless networks by simply driving around the streets of London. Although conducted in London, RSA Security feels that the results of the research are generally the same for any city located throughout India.

Following the same procedure and route as last year, the research identified that 63 percent of the networks surveyed were left on default configuration clearly identifying the company owning the data and where it was coming from. The latest technology also allows researchers to pinpoint the exact number of wireless network access points and wireless enabled laptops inside a business.

These findings reveal that businesses around the world are even more vulnerable to all kinds of malicious hacking techniques, from computer eavesdropping on company secrets; through to computer network disruption and launching denial of service attacks using the cover of the unsuspecting company.

The research, commissioned by RSA Security, and undertaken by research specialists Z/Yen Ltd, was designed to quantify the extent to which companies’ wireless networks are insecure, providing potential access to hackers from their car or a nearby building. The research builds on last year’s report, which revealed that 67 percent of London companies with wireless networks were unprotected from cyber crime attack.

The research highlighted that many businesses are failing to:

Effectively encrypt the data traveling across their wireless networks, enabling hackers to simply pluck company secrets from the air. Change default information on their systems that broadcast the company’s name, location and important technical information that can allow hackers to crack any encrypted network. Secure wireless network access points, allowing hackers to set up rogue access points to capture company information.

Secure data on wireless enabled laptops, allowing penetration of local drives and company data. RSA Security and Z/Yen have produced recommendations for planning, configuring, implementing and operational best practices for using WLAN for businesses.