The proprietary security system used by Cisco Systems Inc. to protect wireless LANs widely deployed by enterprises can be defeated by a "dictionary attack" designed to crack passwords. To counter the security threat, the company is warning customers to institute strong . . .
The proprietary security system used by Cisco Systems Inc. to protect wireless LANs widely deployed by enterprises can be defeated by a "dictionary attack" designed to crack passwords. To counter the security threat, the company is warning customers to institute strong password policies.

Cisco posted a security bulletin on its Web site on Aug. 7 about the vulnerability of its Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol (LEAP) to dictionary attacks, according to Ron Seide, product line manager in the company's wireless business unit.

In that bulletin, Cisco acknowledged the flaw and said, "As with most password-based authentication algorithms, Cisco LEAP is vulnerable to dictionary attacks. Creating a strong password policy is the most effective way to mitigate against dictionary attacks. This includes using strong passwords and periodically expiring passwords."

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