Fw: Researchers hack Wi-Fi driver to breach laptop

[Markus Jansson <seemyhomepage () katsokotisivuilta ni>]

I bet I wasnt the only one just waiting first publications about these 
kinds of attacks. The drivers of various WiFi hardware are vulnerable 
and can be exploited very efficiently, even if the computer is not 
connecting/trying to connect to some network. Only defence is to turn 
them physically off when you dont need them and limit your usage of them 
to "somewhere safe". Concidering the range of these devices (BT over a 
mile away, WLAN even more, HSDPA even much more), threath is serious.



http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/06/21/79536_HNwifibreach_1.html
"Security researchers have found a way to seize control of a laptop 
computer by manipulating buggy code in the system's wireless device driver.
...
Using tools like LORCON, Maynor and Ellch were able to discover many 
examples of wireless device driver flaws, including one that allowed 
them to take over a laptop by exploiting a bug in an 802.11 wireless 
driver. They also examined other networking technologies including 
Bluetooth, Ev-Do (EVolution-Data Only), and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink 
Packet Access).
...
The victim would not even need to connect to a network for the attack to 
work..."You don't have to necessarily be connected for these device 
driver flaws to come into play," Ellch said. "Just because your wireless 
card is on and looking for a network could be enough."
...
More than half of the flaws that the two researchers found could be 
exploited even before the wireless device connected to a network."



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