Hackers Have a New System for Attacking Wi-Fi Networks and It's Unstoppable
Public Wi-Fi networks are usually the most vulnerable to hacker attacks, mainly due to their low level of security. This is why it is usually highly discouraged to connect to Wi-Fi networks in airports, hotels, and the like.
Wi-Fi networks are obviously great fun for hackers, although they also have a drawback for the attacker, which is that he must also be connected to the same Wi-Fi network, or at least be in the surrounding area to be able to carry out the attack.
It has recently been discovered that criminals have actually managed to overcome even this barrier. There is a new type of attack called the “nearest neighbor attack” that does not even require the hacker to be in the immediate vicinity of the network.
This attack consists of using a nearby Wi-Fi network to attack the victim through it. This way, the attacker can find himself in the next building and carry out the action without fear of being stopped so easily.
The system was even able to scale by connecting multiple Wi-Fi networks, jumping from one to another until reaching the target Wi-Fi network, thus establishing a much greater distance between the hacker and the victim.
This new type of attack came to light thanks to cybersecurity firm Volexity, which revealed that one of its clients was subjected to a “nearest neighbor attack.”
Not only did the hackers manage to break into the company's Wi-Fi network, they also stole all kinds of credentials, bypassed various security systems, and even bypassed two-step verification.
Although we only now know about this new hacking system, experts have been facing it for several years (at least since 2022), so it is easier to stand up to it. In any case, it is still a concern and a new challenge to be faced in the field of cybersecurity.