ESET researchers have discovered Kr00k (CVE-2019-15126), a hitherto unknown vulnerability in Wi-Fi chips used in client devices, Wi-Fi access points and routers.
The Kr00k vulnerability encrypts the network communication of an infected device with a key encryptions "all-zero", giving the cybercriminal the ability to decrypt wireless network packets and crown his attack with success.
The discovery of Kr00k is linked to previous research of ESET for the gaps security that were detected in the Amazon Echo, which allowed attacks from KRACK (Key Reinstallation Attack) vulnerabilities. Kr00k is related to KRACK, but has fundamental differences. Analyzing the KRACK, ESET researchers found that Kr00k was one of the factors responsible for "reinstalling" an "all-zero" encryption key, which was observed in tests for KRACK attacks. Following this research, most major device manufacturers have released related patches.
The Kr00k is particularly dangerous because it has affected over a billion Wi-Fi-enabled devices, a number that is a conservative estimate.
ESET will publicly present its research on this vulnerability for the first time on February 26 at the RSA Conference 2020.
Το Kr00k επηρεάζει όλες τις συσκευές με τσιπ Wi-Fi Broadcom και Cypress, που δεν έχουν ενημερωθεί με patch. Πρόκειται για τα πιο κοινά τσιπ Wi-Fi που χρησιμοποιούνται σήμερα στις συσκευές client. Ευάλωτα είναι επίσης και τα Wi-Fi access points και τα routers, που σημαίνει ότι κινδυνεύουν ακόμη και περιβάλλοντα που οι συσκευές client έχουν ενημερωθεί με patch. Η ESET εξέτασε και επιβεβαίωσε ότι μεταξύ των ευάλωτων συσκευών ήταν οι συσκευές client από τις εταιρείες Amazon (Echo, Kindle), Apple (iPhone, iPad, MacBook), Google (Nexus), Samsung (Galaxy), Raspberry (Pi 3) and Xiaomi (Redmi), as well as access points from Asus and Huawei.
ESET announced the vulnerability to chip makers Broadcom and Cypress, which then released a patch. The company also partnered with the Industry Consortium for Advancement of Internet Security (ICASI) to inform Kr00k of all stakeholders, both vulnerable chip makers and others who may be involved. affected. According to the information available to ESET, the devices of the major manufacturers have now been updated with the relevant patches.
"Kr00k occurs after disconnecting from Wi-Fi - something that can happen very normally, for example due to a weak Wi-Fi signal or even caused by an intruder. "If an attack is successful, several kilobytes of potentially sensitive information can be found exposed," explains Miloš Čermák, ESET's head of Kr00k vulnerability research, adding that "by repeatedly causing logins, network with potentially sensitive data ".
Figure: An active intruder can cause disconnections to collect and decrypt data.
"To protect a user, they should ensure that all Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as phones, tablets, laptops, έξυπνες συσκευές IoT, Wi-Fi access points and routers, διαθέτουν την πιο πρόσφατη έκδοση ενημέρωσης» συμβουλεύει ο ερευνητής της ESET, Robert Lipovský, που συνεργάζεται με την team which analyzes Kr00k.
"It is a matter of concern that the Kr00k vulnerability affects not only client devices but also Wi-Fi access points and routers. "This significantly increases the scope of the attack, as an attacker can decrypt the data transmitted from an access point with vulnerability, an operation that occurs uncontrollably on a device, even if it has no vulnerabilities."
For more technical details about the Kr00k, you can read the white paper: “K.r00k - CVE-2019-15126 Serious vulnerability deep inside your Wi-Fi encryptionAnd the related blogpost on WeLiveSecurity. All the latest developments are on the ESET research team's Twitter account.
