NDSS 2025 – CHAOS: Exploiting Station Time Synchronization in 802.11 Networks
Category:Research / Wireless Security
At NDSS 2025, researchers presented 'CHAOS', a novel attack that manipulates Wi-Fi time synchronization, causing desynchronization and data leakage in 802.11 networks. The attack affects both consumer and enterprise wireless environments and can degrade encryption reliability.
CORTEX Protocol Intelligence Assessment
Business Impact: Enterprises using Wi-Fi for operational control risk communication integrity failures. Technical Context: CHAOS exploits timing offsets between access points and clients, enabling traffic manipulation without breaking encryption keys directly.
Strategic Intelligence Guidance
- Apply firmware patches addressing timing sync in Wi-Fi modules.
- Isolate Wi-Fi control networks from critical production segments.
- Enforce WPA3 with strict replay protection.
- Monitor anomalous beacon timing intervals for possible interference.
Vendors
Threats
Targets
Intelligence Source: NDSS 2025 - CHAOS: Exploiting Station Time Synchronization In 802.11 Networks Session 1A: WiFi and Bluetooth Security | Oct 26, 2025