Wi-Fi Security: Cracking WPA With CPUs, GPUs, And The Cloud

Tom's Hardware ^ | August 15, 2011 | Andrew Ku

[decimon]

Is your network safe? Almost all of us prefer the convenience of Wi-Fi over the hassle of a wired connection. But what does that mean for security? Our tests tell the whole story. We go from password cracking on the desktop to hacking in the cloud.

We hear about security breaches with such increasing frequency that it's easy to assume the security world is losing its battle to protect our privacy. The idea that our information is safe is what enables so many online products and services; without it, life online would be so very different than it is today. And yet, there are plenty of examples where someone (or a group of someones) circumvents the security that even large companies put in place, compromising our identities and shaking our confidence to the core.

Understandably, then, we're interested in security, and how our behaviors and hardware can help improve it. It's not just the headache of replacing a credit card or choosing a new password when a breach happens that irks us. Rather, it's that feeling of violation when you log into your banking account and discover that someone spent funds out of it all day.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

or uses a credit card over the Internet is also at risk.

We have one card just for transactions via the 'net. It has a very low limit on it so if it gets clipped, damage is limited.