Indian Wi-Fi Users Prone to Virus Assaults: CERT-In

Computer security experts in India have spotted as well as cautioned Wi-Fi users nationwide to be wary of a potential PC-virus capable of damaging protected networks, published The Times of India in news dated January 18, 2012.

Reportedly, as per CERT-In (Computer Emergency Response Team of India), the virus assaults executed via Wi-Fi can cause protected networks to cripple or even get hacked. Moreover, the organization as well found that there was a design fault within the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) that raised dangers of virus assaults as also could let attackers to illegally gain hold over the infected machine. Besides, the attackers could as well decrypt the password protecting any computer and sneakily creep inside the machine.

In addition the organization further indicated that many WPS systems didn't have a lockout policy to foil the above kind of assault. Normally, within India, Internet-users chose the WPS technique for establishing wireless routers to use in their home networks. Typically there was the use of PIN while carrying out the setup, in the said technique.

The organization added that an unauthorized hacker, inside the WiFi range, by utilizing the PIN, could enter the system and recover the password in connection with the Wi-Fi PC-network alternatively modify the machine's settings.

Notably, CERT-In alerted that unsuccessful exploitation of the flaw was capable of causing a DOS (denial-of-service) situation, adding that the technique was so made that it could be victimized with a brute force assault on the PIN.

By brute-force, it means a program that's utilized for decoding and sneakily creeping inside a password-protected computer, whilst with WPS, people commonly establish their home networks' fresh wireless routers.

An analyst, associated with computer security and attached to an agency in the government stated that the virus in question had already flowed into the Indian cyber arena while it boar a risk of high severity; however, measures for fighting against it were getting installed. Think Digit reported this on January 19, 2012.

Nonetheless, CERT-In analysts recommended Wi-Fi users that they must deactivate the Wi-Fi Protected Setup's external registrar towards safeguarding their computers against the virus assaults.

Related article: Indian Financial Industry Facing Rising Online Fraud

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