allheart55 (Cindy E)
Administrator
The cheeky japesters at Avast created a series of fake Wi-Fi networks at various locations around the Republican National Congress in Cleveland, as Silicon Angle reports:
Avast’s team set up several networks, using names such as "Trump free Wifi" or "Google Starbucks," which were designed to look as though they were set up for convention attendees. Upon connecting, trusting a random and unprotected network they found in a public setting, the users unwittingly gave Avast access to spy on their devices.
Over the course of a day, Avast found over a thousand attendees that were completely negligent in their device’s security. Over 60 percent of the users who connected had their identity completely exposed, and slightly less than half of them checked their email or used messenger apps.
By the way, whether the SSID "Trump free Wifi" is supposed to represent a Wi-Fi that is "free of Trump", or "free on behalf of Trump" is unclear to this writer. Your preference may vary.
Apparently some RNC attendees also used the fake Wi-Fi hotspots to access their umm.. Tinder and Grindr accounts. Oh, and about 5.1% of people who accessed the phony free Wi-Fi used it to play Pokémon Go.
I guess they wanted to mix the serious business of choosing a US presidential candidate with a little fun. Who can blame them?
You should always take care about what Wi-Fi hotspots you connect to, and use a VPN to help keep their sensitive information out of the hands of snoopers.
You can learn more about Avast's findings in its press release.
Source: graham cluley
Avast’s team set up several networks, using names such as "Trump free Wifi" or "Google Starbucks," which were designed to look as though they were set up for convention attendees. Upon connecting, trusting a random and unprotected network they found in a public setting, the users unwittingly gave Avast access to spy on their devices.
Over the course of a day, Avast found over a thousand attendees that were completely negligent in their device’s security. Over 60 percent of the users who connected had their identity completely exposed, and slightly less than half of them checked their email or used messenger apps.
By the way, whether the SSID "Trump free Wifi" is supposed to represent a Wi-Fi that is "free of Trump", or "free on behalf of Trump" is unclear to this writer. Your preference may vary.
Apparently some RNC attendees also used the fake Wi-Fi hotspots to access their umm.. Tinder and Grindr accounts. Oh, and about 5.1% of people who accessed the phony free Wi-Fi used it to play Pokémon Go.
I guess they wanted to mix the serious business of choosing a US presidential candidate with a little fun. Who can blame them?
You should always take care about what Wi-Fi hotspots you connect to, and use a VPN to help keep their sensitive information out of the hands of snoopers.
You can learn more about Avast's findings in its press release.
Source: graham cluley
