• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Vipin V. Nair

Wireless Fidelity enables one to access the Internet anywhere, anytime. But fraudsters could lure you into the `Evil Twin' trap.

SO you've just got yourself a brand new laptop loaded with all the latest features? Then needless to ask whether it's Wi-Fi-enabled.

And the easiest way to flaunt it is to log on to the Internet at the `hot spot' of a coffee shop or a hotel, wirelessly.

But wait a minute! Even as you enjoy wireless freedom, make sure you are not inviting trouble.

Sorry to sound like a doomsayer, but the latest research on wireless Internet access says that accessing the Net through Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) is fraught with security risks.

Internet and cyber crime experts at the UK-based Cranfield University warn that the wireless Internet you have accessed could be a bogus network operated by fraudsters with the purpose of stealing your password and other sensitive data such as financial information.

Cranfield University experts call the fake hotspot the `Evil Twin.'

According to Dr Phil Nobles, users would believe that they have logged onto a genuine Wi-Fi connection, but they could actually be connected to an unauthorised base station set up by cyber criminals on the prowl.

These fraudsters hoodwink net users by jamming the legitimate base station and sending a stronger signal, thereby creating an `Evil Twin.'

When you are unwittingly connected to the Evil Twin, then the criminals can intercept the data you are sending.

They would be on the lookout for information such as your online banking passwords and other such sensitive stuff.

"Cyber criminals don't have to be that clever to carry out such an attack. Because wireless networks are based on radio signals, they can be easily detected by unauthorised users tuning into the same frequency," says Dr Nobles in a statement issued by the University.

Users may also be invited to log on to the fraudster's server through `bogus login prompts.' Here too, , information such as user names and passwords would end up in the wrong hands.

Researchers say this type of cyber crime goes "largely unnoticed because users are unaware this is taking place until well after the incident has occurred."

Also, the Twin Evil can be used to surreptitiously take over the computer to perpetrate `denial of service' attacks.A key factor cited for such attacks is the vulnerability of default security settings of wireless computer access.

Another factor is the growing number of Wi-Fi hotspots across the world. The UK researchers blame insufficient security systems often used by wireless networks for such frauds.

Computer users may also be responsible. Most users, generally, fail to go in foradequate security systems in their machines.

Experts say such attacks are not exactly new and could have been possible from the early days of Wi-Fi. They also liken the Evil Twin attack to the growing menace of phishing.

One way to keep such attackers at bay is to protect the machines with firewalls, antivirus solutions and other encrypted security options for wireless connections.

Also, one can avoid accessing one's bank account or other key information from an unsecured hotspot.

vipin@thehindu.co.in

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
More bandwidth for IT road

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line