Those Wi-Fi devices are under attack again! But not to panic. While this one can be serious, as long as you keep yours updated, you significantly reduce your risk of being one of the billion plus internet-connected devices affected by a newly discovered flaw being referred to as Kr00k. It affects any device that contains a chip by the companies Broadcom or Cypress; which could include your smart phone or Amazon Echo.
The cybersecurity firm ESET found this flaw and said it can essentially disarm the password-protected encryption used on the Wi-Fi network. In turn, it could allow crooks to monitor all activity on the network as if it were not protected at all.
The good news is that an update has already been released and is ready to be applied to affected devices. So make sure your laptops, smart phones, tablets, and all internet of things devices have the latest versions of software and firmware as soon as you see that infamous “update” indicator staring you down.
It’s good practice to get into the habit of updating all of your devices as soon as possible. If it works for you, set them all to perform automatic updates. Then, you don’t have to worry about being protected.
As always, as soon as you install any hardware device on your network, change the default password, then go to the manufacturer's website and download the latest version of the firmware and software. When choosing a password, make sure it is at least eight characters, has letters, numbers, and special characters. Steer clear of easy to guess passwords, like the infamous "football" (which is always in the top 20 most used passwords), and don't use personal information, such as your birthdate, as part of your password.
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