Hackers Could Be Targeting You Through Wi-Fi Connections

Police have issued a scam alert amid reports some Wi-Fi connections are leaving many people vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Officers say that scammers are taking advantage of a flaw known as KRACK (key reinstallation attacks), which affects all Wi-Fi connected devices including mobile phones, tablets, computers and internet routers.

“Make sure you install the latest software updates (patches) to your devices and contact your device vendor for more information,” wrote a spokesperson on the NSW Police Facebook page.

It comes as Mathy Vanheof, from the research team at Belgian University explained “the weaknesses are in the Wi-Fi standard itself, and not in individual products or implementations”.

“Therefore, any correct implementation of WPA2 is likely affected,” he told Yahoo 7 News.

Researchers added that software from big companies including Microsoft, Google and Apple were all at risk of attacks – and that changing Wi-Fi passwords would not cut it.

“To prevent the attack, users must update affected products as soon as security updates become available,” Vanheof added.

“Note that if your device supports Wi-Fi, it is most likely affected.”