“Of Mice and Megabytes Supplement”

CONNECT WIRELESS WISELY
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Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity, is a not-too-old computer technology allowing users to connect their PC or laptop without wires to a network, or more popularly, to the Internet. Free and for-pay “hotspots” – locations that are Wi-Fi enabled -- are popping up everywhere: hotels, restaurants, and coffee houses. Connecting via Wi-Fi is the cool thing to do and it also helps businesses attract customers. But be cautious. There’s been at least one known instance where a less than honorable person set up a wireless server in a popular hot spot and broadcast the network as “Free Wi-Fi service.” For those partaking in this free connection, there was a high price to pay. While the, uh, victim was merrily surfing the ‘Net, the no-goodnik was busy capturing data as it traveled from the unsuspecting user’s computer to the Internet, all in the hopes that valuable personal data would be mined.

I can also imagine the following scenario: You’re staying at a La Quinta resort, partly because it provides Internet services for its guests. Your trusty laptop searches for and finds two wireless networks. One reads “La Quinta wireless network” and the other reads “La Quinta wireless services.” One is legitimate, the other bogus, but which one? And, would you even give it a second thought?

Setting up a rogue wireless server, capturing info and deciphering it, is not a Mission: Impossible scenario. A fat wallet or an engineering degree is not necessary. So when connecting to a publicly accessible wireless network, be alert and be careful.

Re-printed from the Rafu Shimpo, February 2006. Copyright©2006 Rafu Shimpo. All rights reserved.