Blast-RADIUS Attack Disrupts Global Network Protocols With Revolutionary New Technique

Tech & AI | July 9, 2024, 2:44 p.m.

The widely used RADIUS protocol, essential for managing client-server interactions for various network environments, has been found vulnerable to a newly discovered attack. Developed in 1991 and adopted as a standard in 1997, RADIUS relies on the outdated MD5 hash function, which has been proven susceptible to collision attacks that could allow adversaries control over industrial controllers, telecommunications services, ISPs, and enterprise networks. Despite known vulnerabilities and the proliferation of more secure cryptographic hash functions, RADIUS has not been updated to remove MD5, leaving it open to exploitation. The Blast RADIUS attack, discovered by a research team and detailed in a recent paper, highlights the urgent need for security updates in the protocol. Over 90 vendors have released security bulletins and patches to address the issue, urging users to take immediate action to protect their networks.