If we have been very circumspect as consumers of the Internet, the vulnerability of Wi-Fi networks wouldn’t come as a surprise to us. Wi-Fi has long been a vulnerability vector and a major channel for compromising end users and businesses alike. A few days ago, Mathy Vanhoef of Imec-DistriNet discovered the flaw (KRACK VULNERABILITIES) that gave hackers easy access to Wi-Fi networks through the major WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) protocol that most end-users have believed was the most secure.

The technical research indicated that Android and Linux users will be most affected, but it doesn’t rule out the possibility that iOS and Windows are also vulnerable. Pretty much, we are all affected by this. Once triggered, the vulnerability can be used to steal passwords, bank card numbers, email addresses, and photos and to intercept chat messages, among other things. Depending on the attack’s intent, hackers can escalate to the next step in their playbook to distort network configurations and manipulate data.

At every point in time when there’s a security lapse in the technology world, end users and businesses fixate on the overtly technical areas while ignoring that much of the damage is already caused by a lack of awareness and social engineering. End-users fail to do basic things like changing the password on their router from the default “admin/admin,” and this, in turn, reduces a hacking incident to simple theft, just like you not closing the jar of milk when the cats are hovering around.

Additional Encryption: Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are an effective tool for protecting your data. While there are many fraudulent VPN services, there are also very good ones that provide additional encryption to better safeguard your data.

Always Up to Date: With a single click, users can initiate updates for most services on their devices. As simple as this seems, many people don’t do this and would be rather content with procrastinating, for instance, the latest Windows or Avast update. While this isn’t a foolproof measure, it helps keep devices up to date in an environment of persistent threats.

Use Cellular Service: The old-fashioned way can work. Cellular & mobile services have improved significantly over the years, and the shift to Wi-Fi was driven by our bandwidth-hungry devices. If you aren’t a huge data consumer, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to use mobile data services, and it sure is a good way to protect your devices from the vulnerabilities associated with Wi-Fi of late.

Use Ethernet if Available: Today, routers and their embedded software undergo routine audits for KRACK vulnerabilities; using legacy cables, if available, should be considered. There is no single method or approach that guarantees 100% protection, but this can help nonetheless.

These steps will help keep you protected online. Also, now is the time to update your router’s firmware and any device that transmits wireless signals, such as your mobile hotspot. The devil is still in the details. Stay protected.