4 ms·
For the usage I was thinking of, it doesn't need to decrypt mass packets, but rather, join a massive number of networks. My idea was simply a way to accelerate
by SomeStupidPoint 11y ago
For the usage I was thinking of, it doesn't need to decrypt mass packets, but rather, join a massive number of networks.
My idea was simply a way to accelerate the spread of a worm through consumer wifi gear by using the set of fake profiles to always be friends-of-friends with the owner of the network (and thus friends with someone who has connected, thus allowing you to connect).
The process would be something like this:
1. Find a vulnerability in consumer wifi gear, such that insecure default allow the default config to accept new code from only inside the LAN. (These types of vulnerabilities with default passowords are common; however, remote access is often disabled.)
2. Upload code to one router.
3. Infected routers look for neighbors who they can connect to the network of, then upload the attack code once they're masquerading as a device on the LAN.
4. Repeat 3.
Normally, the reason that this attack doesn't really work is that there are simply too few open or insecure LANs of the same hardware type for the attack to have an effective spread rate, thus it's only a thin weak network and breaks quickly in the face of customers fixing, upgrading, or simply turning off their gear.
However, in allowing friends-of-friends to get access to a LAN, Microsoft has removed this barrier to worms spreading across consumer networking gear for anyone that can amass a stock set of profiles with decent geographical coverage, making it a viable way to accelerate the spread of a worm through networking gear.
Ed: Of course, once the routers themselves are infected, and you have good geographical coverage, the infected routers can be used as a platform to launch attacks. Again, the reason that we don't see this in practice is that it's too hard to get access to all of those LANs because of even the weak security that exists. Microsoft removed that, making the attack viable if people can infiltrate the Facebook social graph.
- yuhong 11y agoDidn't think of exploiting routers themselves before.