Home Resources Blog Z-Wave Downgrade Attack Left Over 100 Million IoT Devices Open to Hackers

Z-Wave Downgrade Attack Left Over 100 Million IoT Devices Open to Hackers

Nesh (Steven Puddephatt), Senior Solutions Engineer @ GlobalDots
28.05.2018
image 1 Min read

Researchers have found that even after having an advanced encryption scheme in place, more than 100 million Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices from thousands of vendors are vulnerable to a downgrade attack that could allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to your devices.

The issue resides in the implementation of Z-Wave protocol—a wireless, radio frequency (RF) based communications technology that is primarily being used by home automation devices to communicate with each other.

Dubbed Z-Shave by the researchers, the downgrade attack makes it easier for an attacker in range during the pairing process to intercept the key exchange, and obtain the network key to command the device remotely.

Researchers found the vulnerability while comparing the process of key exchange using S0 and S2, wherein they noticed that the node info command which contains the security class is being transferred entirely unencrypted and unauthenticated, allowing attackers to intercept or broadcast spoofed node command without setting the security class.

Image Source

Read more: The Hacker News

Learn More

What is FinOps? The Complete Guide
Cloud Cost Optimization
Nesh (Steven Puddephatt), Senior Solutions Engineer @ GlobalDots 31.05.23

While cloud-computing supports immense innovation – providing limitless resources in the pursuit of greater output and agility – public cloud end-user spending is projected to reach a staggering $600 billion this year. Hyperscale cloud vendors remain driving forces behind this growth, having proven their salt as highly strategic launchpads for digital transformation. The competition for […]

Read more
Cloud Cost Optimization: A Strategic Approach to Business Expansion
Cloud Cost Optimization
Francesco Altomare, Southern Europe Regional Manager @ GlobalDots 18.05.23

FinOps is a strategic framework designed to manage and optimize cloud costs effectively. It’s a transformative approach that brings financial accountability to the forefront of the variable spend model of cloud computing. This model allows businesses to gain a firm grip on their cloud expenses, ensuring that every dollar spent is accounted for and utilized […]

Read more
AWS Data Transfer Cost Optimization: Everything You Need to Know
Cloud Cost Optimization
Nesh (Steven Puddephatt), Senior Solutions Engineer @ GlobalDots 17.05.23

While AWS services provide a wealth of mission-critical services – storing over 2.2 trillion objects in S3 – many organizations are left floundering in the solution’s complex pricing structures. Spanning transfer types and geographies, data transfer costs can be hugely unpredictable and rapidly get out of hand.  Below, we leverage decades of industry experience to […]

Read more
Unlock Your Cloud Potential
Schedule a call with our experts. Discover new technology and get recommendations to improve your performance.
Book a Demo