{"id":28374,"date":"2024-12-10T22:14:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T16:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/nearest-neighbor-wi-fi-attack\/28374\/"},"modified":"2024-12-10T22:14:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T16:44:02","slug":"nearest-neighbor-wi-fi-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/nearest-neighbor-wi-fi-attack\/28374\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearest Neighbor: a remote attack on Wi-Fi networks"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the perspective of information security, wireless networks are typically perceived as something that can be accessed only locally\u00a0\u2014 to connect to them, an attacker needs to be physically close to the access point. This significantly limits their use in attacks on organizations, and so they are perceived as relatively risk-free. It\u2019s easy to think that some random hacker on the internet could never simply connect to a corporate Wi-Fi network. However, the newly emerged Nearest Neighbor attack tactic demonstrates that this perception is not entirely accurate.<\/p>\n

Even a well-protected organization\u2019s wireless network can become a convenient entry point for remote attackers if they first compromise another, more vulnerable company located in the same building or a neighboring one. Let\u2019s delve deeper into how this works and how to protect yourself against such attacks.<\/p>\n

A remote attack on an organization\u2019s wireless network<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s imagine a group of attackers planning to remotely hack into an organization. They gather information about the given company, investigate its external perimeter, and perhaps even find employee credentials in databases of leaked passwords. But they find no exploitable vulnerabilities. Moreover, they discover that all of the company\u2019s external services are protected by two-factor authentication, so passwords alone aren\u2019t sufficient for access.<\/p>\n

One potential penetration method could be the corporate Wi-Fi network, which they could attempt to access using those same employee credentials. This applies especially if the organization has a guest Wi-Fi network that\u2019s insufficiently isolated from the main network\u00a0\u2014 such networks rarely use two-factor authentication. However, there\u2019s a problem: the attackers are on the other side of the globe and can\u2019t physically connect to the office Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n

This is where the Nearest Neighbor tactic comes into play. If the attackers conduct additional reconnaissance, they\u2019ll most likely discover numerous other organizations whose offices are within the Wi-Fi signal range of the target company. And it\u2019s possible that some of those neighboring organizations are significantly more vulnerable than the attackers\u2019 initial target.<\/p>\n

This may simply be because these organizations believe their activities are less interesting to cyberattack operators \u2014 leading to less stringent security measures. For example, they might not use two-factor authentication for their external resources. Or they may fail to update their software promptly \u2014 leaving easily exploitable vulnerabilities exposed.<\/p>\n

One way or another, it\u2019s easier for the attackers to gain access to one of these neighboring organizations\u2019 networks. Next, they need to find within the neighbor\u2019s infrastructure a device connected to the wired network and equipped with a wireless module, and compromise it. By scanning the Wi-Fi environment through such a device, the attackers can locate the SSID of the target company\u2019s network.<\/p>\n

Using the compromised neighboring device as a bridge, the attackers can then connect to the corporate Wi-Fi network of their actual target. In this way, they get inside the perimeter of the target organization. Having achieved this initial objective, the attackers can proceed with their main goals\u00a0\u2014 stealing information, encrypting data, monitoring employee activity, and more.<\/p>\n

How to protect yourself against the Nearest Neighbor attack<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that this tactic has already been used by at least one APT group, so this isn\u2019t just a theoretical threat. Organizations that could be targeted by such attacks should start treating the security of their wireless local area networks as seriously as the security of their internet-connected resources.<\/p>\n

To protect against the Nearest Neighbor attack, we recommend the following:<\/p>\n