Businesses using Cisco's Over-the-Air-Provisioning (OTAP) may
be at risk of a hacking attack which targets access points to gain
control of a corporate networks.
The potential exploit, dubbed SkyJack by wireless security firm
AirMagnet,
creates a situation whereby control of a Cisco access point can be
obtained, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to gain access
to a business' wireless Lan.
The Cisco OTAP feature allows a Cisco access point that is not
connected to a Cisco controller to listen to traffic from other
nearby Cisco access points and use that information to quickly
locate a nearby wireless Lan controller to associate to.
According to AirMagnet, first, there is an unintentional
exposure or leakage of information in all lightweight Cisco access
points. Second, while the OTAP feature is enabled, there is the
potential for access points to be incorrectly assigned to an
outside Cisco controller either by accident or at the direction of
a potential hacker.
AirMagnet recommended that Cisco customers stop using the OTAP
feature, as it could actively put new sensors in danger of being
attacked.
At the time of writing, Cisco could not confirm the issue
identified by AirMagnet.