"Evil twin" hotspots causing heartburn
RADA
Apple Valley, CA Member
You're at the local coffee shop studying and paying some bills online. However, the free wireless access point you just jumped on is not as benign as it appears to be. It’s an "evil twin" hotspot, set up to appear like a legitimate service. With readily available tools, it collects and decodes your personal information.
Evil twin attacks like this are on the rise. The standard Internet user is becoming too savvy to fall for other data collection scams like phishing. An Evil Twin hotspot is an easier way for someone to get their hands on your information, because the victim never knows its being done until it's too late. Access points like this are easy to build, and require little more than a laptop and USB WiFi adapter. They can also be taken down just as quickly, making it extremely hard to trace.
The best protection you can offer yourself against this type of attack is to be cautious of all free wireless access points. If the location you are at has fee-based wireless access even more vigilance is needed. The free access point under the same name might not be what it appears to be.
Find more information about Evil Twin hotspots at <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131199-pg,1/article.html">PC World</a> and <a href="http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/23163/beware-the-evil-twin-wi-fi-hotspot">Yahoo</a>.
Evil twin attacks like this are on the rise. The standard Internet user is becoming too savvy to fall for other data collection scams like phishing. An Evil Twin hotspot is an easier way for someone to get their hands on your information, because the victim never knows its being done until it's too late. Access points like this are easy to build, and require little more than a laptop and USB WiFi adapter. They can also be taken down just as quickly, making it extremely hard to trace.
The best protection you can offer yourself against this type of attack is to be cautious of all free wireless access points. If the location you are at has fee-based wireless access even more vigilance is needed. The free access point under the same name might not be what it appears to be.
Find more information about Evil Twin hotspots at <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131199-pg,1/article.html">PC World</a> and <a href="http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/23163/beware-the-evil-twin-wi-fi-hotspot">Yahoo</a>.
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