How to Hack WiFi Password from Smart Doorbells

The buzz around The Internet of Things (IoT) is growing, and it is growing at a great pace.

Every day the technology industry tries to connect another household object to the Internet. One such internet-connected household device is a Smart Doorbell.

Gone are the days when we have regular doorbells and need to open the door every time the doorbell rings to see who is around.

However, with these Internet-connected Smart Doorbells, you get an alert on your smartphone app every time a visitor presses your doorbell and, in fact, you can also view who's in front of your door.

Moreover, you can even communicate with them without ever opening the door. Isn’t this amazing? Pretty much.

But what if your doorbell Reveals your home's WiFi password?

Use Smart Doorbell to Hack WiFi Password

Until now, we have seen how hackers and researchers discovered security holes in Smart Cars,Smart refrigerators, Smart kettles and Internet-connected Toys, raising questions about the security, privacy, and potential misuse of IoTs.

Now, security researchers at UK consultancy Pen Test Partners have discovered a critical security hole in Wi-Fi-enabled video doorbell that could be used to expose the home network password of users.

The security hole is uncovered in Ring – a modern IoT Smart doorbell that connects to the user's home WiFi network, allowing them to view who is in front of the door with the help of their mobile device, even if the user is not at home.

Additionally, the Smart doorbell also gives users option to hook up to some smart door locks, so users can let their guests or family members into their home even if they are not in the house.

Researchers were impressed by the functionality of Ring, though shocked when analysed the security of the device that allowed them to discover the home user's WiFi password.

Press Button, Access a URL and Get WiFi Password!

As researchers explain, with the help of screw gauge, anyone can detach the doorbell mounted on the outside of the house and press the orange button (given on its back), which puts the device's wireless component in AP (Access Point) mode.

"Pressing the setup button [puts] the doorbell’s wireless module (a Gainspan wireless unit) into a setup mode, in which it acts as a Wi-Fi access point," the company's consultant David Lodge explains in a blog post.

You can then use your mobile phone to connect to the server, via a specific URL (http://192.168.240.1/gainspan/system/config/network).

When accessed, the above URL will reveal the wireless module's configuration file in the web browser, including the home WiFi network's SSID and PSK (Pre-Shared Key, a.k.a. password) in clear text.

Now, you just need to do is put the Smart doorbell back on the house's wall and disappear.

Since home WiFi networks have always been trusted by their owners who connect their devices to them, having access to this network, hackers can launch other malicious attacks against the victim's workstations, and other smart devices.

Researchers reported the security hole to Ring that resolved the issue via a firmware update released just two weeks after they were notified.

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New Long-Range Wi-Fi Standard Offers Double Range to Home Devices

It is a common problem: Home Wireless Router's reach is terrible that the WiFi network even does not extend past the front door of the room.

My house also has all kinds of Wi-Fi dead zones, but can we fix it?

The answer is: YES. The problem will improve with a future, longer range version of Wi-Fi that uses low power consumption than current wireless technology and specifically targets at the internet of things (IoTs).

Global certification network the WiFi Alliance has finally approved a new wireless technology standard called 802.11ah, nicknamed "HaLow."

HaLow: Long Range WiFi

Wi-Fi HaLow has twice the range of conventional Wi-Fi and has the ability to penetrate walls that usually create blackspots in our homes.

The Wi-Fi Alliance unveiled this latest WiFi technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Although currently used 802.11 Wi-Fi standards commonly operate in frequency bandwidths between 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the new WiFi HaLow was specially designed to work in lower bands, offering lower power consumption while boosting connectivity.

Wi-Fi HaLow can activate in the lower 900 MHz band, providing better propagation across longer distances while also coping with large numbers of devices connecting to a network.

WiFi HaLow: Designed now for IoTs

The HaLow standard is seen as an essential for the internet of things (IoTs) and connected home appliances. As more and more appliances in our homes are connecting to the Internet, it is quite harder for our home Wi-Fi wireless routers to reach every device.

"Wi-Fi HaLow is well suited to meet the unique needs of the Smart Home, Smart City, and industrial markets because of its ability to operate using very low power, penetrate through walls, and operate at significantly longer ranges than Wi-Fi today," said Edgar Figueroea, president of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Several sensor-enabled and internet connected devices in our homes, like door sensors and connected bulbs, require enough power to send data to remote hubs or routers at long distances, but the current Wi-Fi standard does not lend itself to long battery life and transmission distances.

However, HaLow standard will likely offer slower throughput speeds than conventional WiFi that considers the smaller data demands of internet connected devices as opposed to those designed for web browsing.

HaLow Expected to be Useful For Devices From Connected Cars to SmartPhones

HaLow standard is expected to be especially useful in connected cars as well as battery-operated devices around the home like smart thermostats, smart locks, connected bulbs as well as mobile devices.

"Wi-Fi HaLow expands the unmatched versatility of Wi-Fi to enable applications from small, battery-operated wearable devices to large-scale industrial facility deployments - and everything in between," Figueroea said.

The WiFi Alliance is expected to begin certifying first products bearing a Wi-Fi HaLow certification in 2018, after which the technology requires to make its way into your home router, then into your wearable.

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