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WPA Weak Key Cracker Posted

Posted by michael on from the bet-the-NSA-already-has-it dept.

Glenn Fleishman writes "The folks at TinyPEAP released a cracking tool to break Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) keys. WPA is the replacement for weak WEP keys in the original 802.11b specification. Robert Moskowitz of ICSA Labs released a paper almost exactly a year ago documenting how WPA keys that were short and lacked randomnness could be subject to cracks. This tool automates the process. Moskowitz advised choosing passphrases of more than 20 characters or generating random keys of at least 96 bits, but preferably 128 bits. Some tools exist to produce better keys, including chipmaker Broadcom's SecureEZSetup (in selected hardware) and Buffalo Technologies' hardware-based AOSS for automatic key generation and propagation. Enterprise-based WPA with 802.1X doesn't have this weakness: each user gets a long WPA key that's randomly generated and uniquely assigned--and can be frequently changed during a session."

5 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Better colours by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    http://shit.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/05/2 143226

  2. no good excuse by Misanthropy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    there's not really any good excuse for a weak wpa key. My router will generate a random 128bit key.
    Kind of funny. I have our wireless router locked down with a 128bit key and only accepting connections from mine and my roommates' MAC addresses. But one of my neighbors has a wide open access point that I can connect to whenever I wan't.
    I don't really want to, but I could.

    No real point to this post except that you should attempt even minimal security (Unlike my neighbor).

  3. In addition to a cracker by slashdot.org · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I would have liked to see a tool that will verify if your chosen key is 'secure' or not.

    Would have made the crack software look a little less black-hat, to the uninitiated.

    Just an idea.

  4. Suggestion by cuteseal · · Score: 3, Interesting
    From reading all the threads and flame wars going on here, it appears that WEP, WPA and even MAC address filtering is easy to crack, if someone was determined enough to do it.

    So, I know it's not foolproof, but does anyone have suggestions on how to increase wireless security?

    1. Regularly change WEP keys?
    2. Use a proxy server to access internet, and disable direct access via access point?
    3. Turn off router and computers when you're not using them?

    Any others?

    --

    The friendliest digital photography forums on the net!

  5. Re:Odds of implementation? by fisgreen · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The odds of Joe sixpack going the extra step of making a 20 character key is not good. WiFi setups are all the rage and now can all be broken into even after you spend an hour telling someone that they have to use WEP.

    Sadly, who needs to break into anything when so many leave their front doors wide open? I just moved into a new appartment complex. While waiting for my cable to get turned on, I thought I'd scan for networks, just for the hell of it. F'ing amazing: five APs detected, one WEP (not WAP) secured, four open. Of the open ones, three hadn't even changed the defaults.