In case you haven't heard, beginning July 1, 2010 Starbuck's will begin to offer FREE wi-fi nationwide. Now, I'm sure you are wondering why I have declared this to be so dangerous. This is because there is a very dangerous type of attack that can be deployed at these types of hotspot locations. It's called a "Man in the middle" attack and it occurs when someone sets up there computer to act as a hotspot in locations such as coffee shops and airports, etc. Then, when you turn on your computer, you will see a internet access point that could belong to a nearby hacker just waiting for you to logon. Once connected, you will have no knowledge that all of your internet traffic is passing through the would be hackers computer, where he is gathering all of the packets that your machine is sending and receiving. Later, he can dissect this info to find your email addresses, passwords, credit card info, etc. All the while you are thinking that you are on a safe network owned by the establishment of which you are patronizing.
Be careful when you visit public wi-fi spots, ask someone who works there what the SSID name is. This is the name of the network which shows up when your computer detects the access points in the area. Avoid any suspicious looking available networks.
Please share this with friends and family, these hotspots are a utopia for hackers. If you have any questions, please email me at
thecommongeek@gmx.com
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