There is some good news for your WiFi network as well: especially if you’re tired of slow connections, or if your WiFi connection hardly reaches the attic. Mesh networks are becoming more popular and you can usually tell when a new technology is catching on, when the big names get involved. Google recently announced they will start selling their mesh routers in the Netherlands.

So, what are the benefits of mesh technology? Instead of a single router having to cover your entire home (and competing with the neighbours’ access point), your WiFi could be provided by a network of routers set up in different rooms. They will work together to automatically create the best connections throughout your home and select the best WiFi channels to use in each location. Sounds promising!

Mathy Vanhoef, https://www.krackattacks.com/
Image: Mathy Vanhoef

The news that has a lot of networking people worried right now, is that of the KRACK attack. Why is this such a big deal? Until now, we’ve believed our wireless networks were secure and protected, using the WPA2 encryption standard.

Earlier standards for wireless security had their problems: for example, it’s quite easy for a hacker to recover the password you use to secure your WiFi when using WEP for protection. This video needs just 4.5 minutes to explain how. It’s successor, WPA, also had flaws. Until now, WPA2 was believed to be secure. This new attack changes that…

WPA2 is not as easily exploited as earlier standards: hackers will not be able to retrieve your password, but they may break in to your communication, stealing or manipuling your sensitive information. Wired explains how this works.

You too, are likely to be vulnerable. So what can you do? Not much right now, unfortunately. Wait for the manufacturer of your router, phone, tablet or smart fridge to issue an update, and make sure to install it as soon as you can!

If you’re looking for a little more info: this video has an in-depth explananation of how the KRACK attack works. Or you could check the paper by Mathy Vanhoef, the Belgian researcher to discover this vulnerability.