[ISN] New cloud-based service steals Wi-Fi passwords

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141921/New_cloud_based_service_steals_Wi_Fi_passwords?taxonomyId=17

By Robert McMillan
IDG News Service 
December 7, 2009 

For $34, a new cloud-based hacking service can crack a WPA (Wi-Fi 
Protected Access) network password in just 20 minutes, its creator says.

Launched today, the WPA Cracker service bills itself as a useful tool 
for security auditors and penetration testers who want to know if they 
could break into certain types of WPA networks. It works because of a 
known vulnerability in Pre-shared Key (PSK) networks, which are used by 
some home and small-business users.

To use the service, the tester submits a small "handshake" file that 
contains an initial back-and-forth communication between the WPA router 
and a PC. Based on that information, WPA Cracker can tell whether the 
network seems vulnerable to this type of attack.

The service was launched by a well-known security researcher who goes by 
the name of Moxie Marlinspike. In an interview, he said that he got the 
idea for WPA Cracker after talking to other security experts about how 
to speed up WPA network auditing. "It's kind of a drag if it takes five 
days or two weeks to get your results," he said.

[...]


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