Airport Wi-Fi can be a security nightmare. Here's what you can do to stop cyber criminals

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: the keyboard of geoff goodfellow <geoff () iconia com>
> Date: December 4, 2018 at 7:51:34 AM GMT+9
> To: Interesting Stuff list <is () iconia com>
> Subject: IS: Airport Wi-Fi can be a security nightmare. Here's what you can do to stop cyber criminals
>
> Airport Wi-Fi can be a security nightmare. Here's what you can do to stop cyber criminals
> https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-spot-cyber-security-threats-20181202-story.html
> EXCERPT:
> You may find an evil twin out there — not your own but one that still can do great harm. That nasty double often 
> awaits you at your airport, ready to attack when you least expect it.
>
> That’s just one of the findings in a report that assesses the vulnerability of airport Wi-Fi, done not to bust the 
> airports’ chops,but to make airports and travelers aware of the problems they could encounter.
>
> Of the 45 airports reviewed, the report by Coronet said, two we might use could pose a special risk: San Diego and 
> Orange County’s John Wayne, which rated No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the “Top 10 Most Vulnerable Airports.”
>
> Airports, said Dror Liwer, chief security officer for Coronet, a cyber-security firm, are a fertile field because 
> there’s a concentration of “high-value assets,” which include business travelers who may unwittingly open themselves 
> up to an attack, he said.
>
> That’s where the evil twin comes in. Let’s say you’re sitting in an airport lounge or maybe right outside the lounge. 
> You see a Wi-Fi network that says, “FreeAirportWiFi.” Great, you think. Most airports do have free Wi-Fi. They may 
> make you watch a couple of commercials (or you may pay a bit to skip those), but otherwise, the connectivity is there 
> for you.
>
> “I always say that in the balance between convenience and security, convenience always wins,” Liwer said.
>
> And you lose. Because if you take the bait and log in, that evil twin posing as the airport Wi-Fi then has access to 
> your closely held secrets.
>
> In some cases, Liwer said, the person creating this trap may be sitting next to you, which means the signal is strong 
> and attractive. It takes only some inexpensive equipment and know-how for a thief to succeed, and presto, you’re in 
> the cyber-security soup.
>
> “Most attackers … are trying to get your credentials, and if they have those, they have the keys to the kingdom,” 
> Liwer said. “If I know your password, I own your life.”
>
> Chilling.
>
> It is as sinister as it sounds. Liwer said. For theives, “it’s a business,” he said. “What they are looking for is 
> something that will make them money.”
>
> What makes it worse: You’re getting on a plane and won’t be checking your bank balance any time soon.
>
> The sites that will do you harm are hard to detect with the naked, inexperienced eye. How do you protect yourself?
> Here are ways to keep your data safe, with help from Liwer; Vyas Sekar, an assistant professor of electrical and 
> computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon’s College of Engineering; Jake Lehmann, managing director of Friedman CyZen, 
> a cyber-security consulting service; and Michael Tanenbaum, executive vice president North America cyber practice for 
> Chubb Ltd.:
> [...]
>
> -- 
> Geoff.Goodfellow () iconia com
> living as The Truth is True
> http://geoff.livejournal.com  



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