Security News > 2021 > October > Researcher cracked 70% of WiFi networks sampled in Tel Aviv
A researcher has managed to crack 70% of a 5,000 WiFi network sample in his hometown, Tel Aviv, to prove that home networks are severely unsecured and easy to hijack.
CyberArk security researcher Ido Hoorvitch first wandered in the city center with WiFi sniffing equipment to gather a sample of 5,000 network hashes to use in the research.
Using a previously discovered method by Jens "Atom" Steube's, the researcher gathered PMKIDs that would be cracked to derive the password.
Using a standard laptop, the researcher cracked 2,200 passwords at an average speed of nine minutes per password using this method.
By following this simple and inexpensive cracking method, the researcher cracked roughly 70% of the passwords for the sampled WiFi networks.
The research shows that most people are not setting a strong password for their WiFi networks even though they are at risk of being hacked.