What Is a WPS PIN Attack: A Brief Guide

Hackers can crack router PINs and gain access to the networks without knowing the password. No, creating a strong password won’t always help here. Instead, the password is irrelevant in a WPS PIN Attack. 

Hackers exploit the Router PINs to gain access. And, WPS PINs, i.e., the WiFi Protected Setup, are the most critical. While WPS is designed to be a convenience feature for users, it also contains a fundamental security flaw. 

This guide walks you through how WPS PIN attacks work and how hackers exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorised access to networks. 

Router PIN Hack vs. WPS PIN Hack: Clearing the Confusion

Router PIN Hacking is often confused with WPS PIN hacking. 

• General router access is when a user gains control over the router’s admin settings.
• WPS PIN exploitation is a method for recovering a WiFi network password. 

Both are related but target different aspects of your router’s security. That said, this section will briefly explain what General Router Access and WPS PIN access. This will help further understand the differences between the Router PIN hack and the WPS PIN hack. 

What is a Router Admin PIN

The Router admin PIN controls access to the router’s web-based administration panel. The Admin PIN can be a username/password combination, but not a numerical PIN, such as admin/password. Hackers might try default admin credentials to lock the user out and gain full network access.

What Is a WPS PIN

WPS PIN is the real vulnerability. It is a shortcut for connecting devices to the WiFi network. The PIN is an 8-digit number, physically printed on a sticker on the router. Here’s the flaw: the PIN is verified in two halves. 

This reduces the number of guesses needed from 100 million to almost 11,000. Brute-forcing the PIN reveals the network’s WiFi password. This is the primary attack vector discussed in the router PIN hacking.

As a key takeaway, the WPS PIN attack bypasses the main WiFi password entirely. It’s different from attacking the admin panel or the WiFi password itself. However, it can still serve as a stepping stone to those other targets once it has the network access.

How Can Hackers Crack Router PINs Without Knowing the Password

The WiFi password is irrelevant in a WPS attack. The hacker ever needs it, since they directly interact with the WPA2/WPA3 authentication system. Here’s a breakdown of why the password is unnecessary:

• WPS creates an entirely separate communication channel from standard WiFi authentication. The attacker communicates directly with the router’s WPS “registrar” service. is happens before any WPA2 handshake would normally occur.
• The router voluntarily shares the network’s configuration once the WPS PIN is validated. This includes the SSID and the WiFi password (Pre-shared key). Hacker receives this information as a regular WPS client would. 
• Even if a hacker tries fewer than 11,000 attempts, most of these PINs can be guessed within hours. The WiFi password isn’t required during a WPS PIN hack.

How Does the WPS PIN Attack Work

The WPS PIN Hack is a brute-force attack that exploits the design vulnerability in the WPS authentication protocol. It enables the hacker to recover a WiFi network’s passwords by guessing an 8-digit PIN rather than the password itself.

The 8-digit PIN is easier to guess than a password. And, a standard 8-digit PIN has 100 million possible combinations. However, the WPS protocol checks the PIN in 2 halves and not one complete number. Here’s how it works:

1.  First Half: Digits 1–4 are checked together.
2.  Second Half: Digits 5–8 are checked together (where the 8th digit is actually a checksum of the first 7).

Meaning, the hacker doesn’t have to guess all 8 digits at once. 

Step-by-Step Process of How a WPS PIN Attack Works

Here’s a brief breakdown of how a WPS PIN Hacking attempt works:

• Step 1: Hackers use tools to scan for WiFi networks that have WPS enabled. Networks with WPS active are marked as vulnerable.
• Step 2: The hacker guesses the 4 digits. If the router responds with an invalid first half, the tool moves to the next guess. However, if the tools respond as valid in the first half, the first half is cracked. 
• Step 3: The tool brute-forces the remaining digits. The 8th digit is a checksum, so the tool often calculates it rather than guessing.
• Step 4: The Router’s WPS system shares the network configuration with the hacker after the PIN is cracked. This includes the Network SSID, Encryption type, and the actual WiFi password. 
• Step 5: The hacker now has the real WiFi password and can connect to the network like any legitimate user without ever needing the main password.

What Are the Risks of a WPS PIN Hacking

WPS PIN hacking not only exposes your WiFi’s password, but offers full network control to the hacker. Here are the real-world implications, i.e., the risks of WPS PIN attacks: 

1. Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

The attacker places themselves between your devices and the internet. They can:

• Intercept all unencrypted traffic (HTTP websites, some emails, file transfers).
• Decrypt some encrypted traffic using advanced techniques.
• Redirect you to fake versions of banking, social media, or shopping sites.
• Install malware into legitimate downloads or web pages.

2. Data Monitoring and Data Interception

Hackers can gain full access to your network by cracking the WPS PIN code. Here’s what a hacker can do with network access:

• Steal your login credentials for websites without HTTPS.
• Monitor your browsing habits and online activities.
• Steal personal information from unencrypted forms and communications.
• Record sensitive data like credit card numbers or personal messages.

3. Launch Attacks from Your Network

Since the hacker has full network access, they can also launch attacks via your network. This makes it look like you launch the attack. Here’s what hackers can do with network access:

• Send spam or phishing emails. Later, your IP address gets blacklisted.
• Distribute illegal content, such as pirated content.
• Launch DDoS attacks against other networks or websites.
• Conduct hacking attempts against other systems.

As a consequence, you might be liable to legal consequences since the IP address will trace back to you and not the hacker. 

4. Install Malware on Your Device

Sophisticated hacking attempts often lead to malware installations on your device to steal your sensitive information, such as bank details. Here’s what hackers can do after a WPS PIN hack: 

• Flash malicious firmware that survives router reboots.
• Create backdoors that remain even after you change passwords.
• Redirect DNS settings to malicious servers.
• Disable security features and logging functions.
• Maintain access indefinitely, even if you later disable WPS.

5. Access All Connected Devices

Smart Home devices are the direct target after hackers crack the WPS PIN. Here’s what the hackers can access:

• Smart home devices, such as security cameras and door locks. 
• Network-attached storage (NAS), i.e., your personal files, photos, and documents. 
• Printers and IoT devices, especially those with weak security.
• Computers and smartphones. 

How to Prevent a Router PIN Hacking Attempt

You can prevent a router PIN hacking attempt by adopting the essential security measures. Here are the recommended steps to take to protect your router:

1. Disable WPS

• Go to router settings > Wireless/WiFi > Security > Disable WPS. 
• Doing to eliminates the vulnerability, and some routers might call this “WiFi Protected Setup” or “QSS”. 

2. Update the Router Firmware

Check every 3-6 months or enable auto-updates to install router firmware updates. Installing the updates patches the known vulnerabilities and security holes. Here’s how to do that: 

• Go to Router Settings > Administration > Firmware Update.

3. Use WPA3 (If Available)

It’s best to enable WPA3. This is more secure than WPA2 and resistant to offline attacks. Here’s how to do that: Wireless Security > Select “WPS3-Personal.” However, if it’s unavailable, use WPA2-Personal (AES) with a strong password. 

4. Advanced Security Measures

Taking the advanced security measures increases your guard against the WPS attacks. Here are the 5 measures we recommend taking: 

1. Use a strong password. Or, use the FastestPass free password generator for quick password generation. 
2. Disable remote management. Go to Router Administration Page > Remote Management > Disable. 
3. Regularly update the firmware. It’s better to replace routers that no longer receive updates. 
4. Enable guest network for visitors and IoT devices. It’s best to use a different password for the guest network. 
5. Regularly check all connected devices and set up alerts for a new device connection.

FAQs – How Hackers Crack Router PINs

Final Note

WPS hack is a brute-force attack that enables the hacker gain router access. Setting strong passwords doesn’t help prevent the attack, since the hacker only needs to crack the router PIN code. It’s best to keep a check on the number of devices connected to your network, updating the router firmware and disabling WPS to prevent WPS hacks.