I just came across a story on the hazards of using a public WiFi and it really put me on guard. Because I used the free WiFi service on the train yesterday. It goes to show that you have to be careful about using free services. Someone is always there to exploit to his/her advantage.
It is about a guy, (Maurits Martijn) who took an ethical hacker (Wouter Slotboom) to a café with public WiFi and the information the hacker has access to; just by using some programs and devices. Within 30 minutes the hacker where everyone else was born, what schools they attended, and the last five things they googled.
Here goes the story…
In his backpack, Wouter Slotboom, 34, carries around a small black device, slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes, with an antenna on it. I meet Wouter by chance at a random cafe in the center of Amsterdam. It is a sunny day and almost all the tables are occupied. Some people talk, others are working on their laptops or playing with their smartphones.
Wouter removes his laptop from his backpack, puts the black device on the table, and hides it under a menu. A waitress passes by and we ask for two coffees and the password for the WiFi network. Meanwhile, Wouter switches on his laptop and device, launches some programs, and soon the screen starts to fill with green text lines. It gradually becomes clear that Wouter’s device is connecting to the laptops, smartphones, and tablets of cafe visitors.
Click here to read the full article…
