If the next generation of malware targets our WiFi routers, it’s gonna spread like wildfire, taking out 37 per cent of routers within two weeks of infection
That’s the conclusion of Steve Meyers and buddies, computer security experts at Indiana University in Bloomington.
They say that the density of WiFi routers within our cities has reached a critical value that would allow a worm to spread from machine to machine without having to travel over the internet. Such a worm could exploit well known weaknesses associated with WiFi security, such as default or poor password hygiene and “cracks in the WEP cryptographic protocol”.
The group looked at the density of WiFi coverage and the epidemiology of such an outbreak in seven urban areas: Chicago, Boston, New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Northern and Southern Indiana.
“The striking observation is that the malware rapidly propagates on the WiFi network in the first few hours, taking control of about 37% of the routers after two weeks from the infection of the first router. “
Antivirus software is not yet available for WiFi routers. Expect that to change.
Ref: arxiv.org/abs/0706.3146: WiFi Epidemiology: Can Your Neighbors’ Router Make Yours Sick?