Beware Free Wifi!

Did you know that wireless internet access is placing you at risk for identity theft, according to the US Department of Homeland Security? Add to that the fact the FBI has named identity theft as the fastest growing crime in America, if you use WiFi there are some things you should know.

Say you're at a coffee shop, hotel, or more likely, an airport. You set up your laptop and try to make a connection to a free WiFi hotspot - at least, the connection you chose said "Free WiFi." But unless you've taken precautions to avoid this scam, chances are good that, instead of directly connecting to the airport's wireless access hub, you have instead connected to a hacker's computer and your identity is now at risk.

You can't tell the difference at this point, because you do have Internet access. It's just that your access is coming by way of the hacker's computer, and your data stream - including your passwords, user names, etc. - is being logged by him. Any shared directories? He can access them as well. It's amazingly simple for a hacker to set up a fake "free" hotspot anywhere there are lots of unsuspecting people who want to get online without charge.

So how can you protect yourself?
The best way is to avoid free WiFi and use a wireless access card or a smartphone. But both of those solutions are expensive. If the cost is out of the question, then there are a number of ways you can tighten up your laptop's security settings.

Most of these attacks are coming from what's called an "ad hoc" or "computer to computer" network. The hacker who has set up the fake hotspot can name it whatever he wants - so of course he will name it something to try to fool you. He might give it the same name as the legitimate network, so be careful before you select.

If you are using Windows XP, you can configure your Wireless Network Settings so that you never connect to an ad hoc network (see reference below).

XP also keeps a list of all the networks you have ever connected to, in a list called "Preferred Networks." You'll want to remove any questionable networks from this list, and set up the remaining networks to not connect automatically when detected. The reason for this has to do with the hacker's ability to call his fake network whatever he wants. If any of your real networks are using out-of-the-box names (like your home network), that makes you more vulnerable when your laptop will also auto-connect when it detects that network name.

Windows Vista makes it a little more difficult to distinguish ad hoc networks. The icon Vista uses for these shows several PCs, while the icon for a "normal" network is a single PC.

While being sure you are not connecting to an ad hoc network will lessen the chances that your information and your identity will be compromised, it's not the only thing. Check the reference below to see more tips. WiFi is a dangerous world - be careful out there!

Learn more:
How to protect yourself at wireless hot spots, Preston Gralla, Computerworld, January 2007