University identifies critical 802.11 wireless flaw

A serious wireless network technology flaw that could lead to the breakdown of some critical infrastructures in just five seconds has been identified by Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) Information Security Research Centre. Wireless technology is gaining traction and in some countries is used to control infrastructures such as railway networks, energy transmission and other utilities. QUT's School of Software Engineering and Data Communications deputy head, associate professor Mark Looi, said the discovery of the flaw should send a warning to high levels of government and industry worldwide.

"Any organisation that continues to use the standard wireless technology [IEEE 802.11b] to operate critical infrastructure could be considered negligent," Looi said.

"This wireless technology should not be used for any critical applications as the results could, potentially, be very serious."

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