Security Concerns with Public WiFi Hotspots
Last week, I asked Mr. Herrod about the concerns in cyber security with growing adoption and push towards public wireless hotspot connections and he expressed deep concerns. Steve Herrod is the Managing Director at General Catalyst and ex-CTO at VMware.
“In our generation Wi-Fi is a necessity and its required to have a social life”
In this era of connectivity, consumers carry multiple smart, Wi-Fi capable devices with desire to remain connected with little to no interruption wherever they go, driving an increased demand in free public wireless connections. It has become increasingly common to work or study in public places which requires a stable internet connection for longer durations. Another noticeable trend is that people like to stay connected with their network using a variety of social applications, often sharing multimedia content that consumes high bandwidth. There are many reasons why consumers turn to public Wi-Fi connections:
- Cellular plans provide limited data access, and purchasing additional data access is expensive and unaffordable for most consumers. For example, AT&T charges $40 monthly for a 3GB plan, and $60 for a 6GB plan, excluding the Device access charge ($20 for smartphones). For excess usage, AT&T reduces your connectivity to an extremely slow 2G network (0.1Mbps) while other cellular service providers such as Verizon charges $15/GB.
- In many locations consumers experience low cellular speeds, and often inconsistent or no connectivity. Using cellular hotspots consume additional battery and becomes a problem for most consumers.
Personally, I carry multiple internet-enabled gadgets and expect wireless connectivity at most locations, especially at Cafés or malls. I travel a lot and it becomes very efficient to complete work, or study online when outside. I use many cloud-storage applications to ensure a safe backup of my files and cross-device availability, and these services can consume significant bandwidth, so I prefer using a hotspot or public Wi-Fi. I use many services to ensure a multi-layer protection of my data.
“If you’re a Comcast cable customer, your home’s private Wi-Fi router is being turned into a public hotspot”
In United States, many businesses and most Cafés offer free Wi-Fi to their customers. However, Xfinity has started a very exciting service, where all Xfinity wireless subscribers will be able to access a wide network of free Xfinity Wi-Fi connections. Comcast has been replacing customer’s old modems, with newer modems that also act as routers, have extended access range and are capable of doubling as public hotspots. There are over 16 million hotspot enabled modems across the United States, making connectivity readily available for everyone, especially the customers. Non-Xfinity customers have an option to purchase a day or week pass depending on the duration they need access for. Unlike other public Wi-Fi connections, Xfinity hotspots offer a higher speed: 25 Mbps, which is good for general work and email applications.
“Imagine waves of wireless Internet emitting from every home, business and public waiting area.”
Worried that it would make your network vulnerable? All Xfinity hotspot users are required to authenticate with their account credentials which registers their device (Smartphones, Laptops, etc.) and the network will keep them registered for future sessions — on bus stops, coffee shops or at cousin’s house. According to Comcast, each modem box they provide is equipped with two separate antennas for home connection and hotspot. This prevents hotspot users from jumping on your network and spy on you. As for strangers connecting to your router for illegal activity: Comcast said, “you would not need to worry if the FBI comes knocking”. Anyone accessing the hotspot “must sign in with their own traceable, Comcast customer credentials”.
But, remain cautious: not all public hotspots are legitimate. Attackers can create an open, unsecured network with a name similar to that of a nearby hotspot, such as a restaurant or hotel name, and unsuspecting users may connect without a second thought.
Attackers can push malware to devices on these “rogue hotspots”, or trick users into downloading malware by creating a popup or misguided advertisement for a software upgrade. Users might think this is a legitimate ad, sponsored by their hotel perhaps, only to find out later it was actually an extremely dangerous virus or malware.
If you connect to a rogue hotspot or fall victim to a Man-in-the-Middle attack, it’s game over. Security relies on the trust between devices and networks and when you accidentally trust a malicious party you become compromised. There is a relatively simple way to secure yourself: a VPN.
Private information is most vulnerable when using untrusted, public networks, but you have more to worry about than hackers and malware, businesses see the Internet as a powerful point of information control and metadata collection. VPNs can protect against both risks. Indeed, the privacy risk exists on any network, including a home broadband link. If you don’t want Google or your ISP tracking your every online move, a VPN works great at home.
I’m curious to see how 5G will impact the hotspot network.
Resources:
Comcast recommends Freedome VPN, but there are also many free versions out there.
If you are looking for convenience, Norton WiFi Privacy is an intuitive cross-platform VPN service.
A nice explanatory video on VPN by Kaspersky: https://youtu.be/XcghUy-8VRA.
About Xfinity wireless hotspots: http://wifi.xfinity.com/.
Sources:
- http://chicago.comcast.com/2017/03/17/comcast-installs-16000th-wifi-hotspot-in-champaign-urbana-area/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/04/06/comcast-wants-be-your-new-cellphone-carrier-heres-everything-you-need-to-know/?utm_term=.db01e4a52e25
- https://www.xfinity.com/support/internet/about-xfinity-wifi-internet/
- http://www.esecurityplanet.com/wireless-security/comcast-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-xfinity-wi-fi-hotspots.html
- http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2103150/hongkongers-have-false-sense-network-security-public-wi-fi
- https://www.finder.com.au/australians-take-too-many-risks-with-public-wi-fi
- https://betanews.com/2017/07/11/public-wi-fi-hotspots-false-sense-of-security/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtmarko/2014/05/18/hotspot-security-part1/#64e7c93e546a
- https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/public-wifi-risks
- https://safeandsavvy.f-secure.com/2014/09/29/danger-of-public-wifi/
- https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/data-plans.html
- https://www.verizonwireless.com/plans/verizon-plan/
- https://www.rsa.com/en-us/research-and-thought-leadership/security-perspectives/rsa-breach-readiness-survey
- https://www.rsa.com/en-us/products/fraud-prevention
- https://www.rsaconference.com/videos
- https://www.rsa.com/en-us/resources/sleeper-awakes-amit-yoran-keynote
- https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/public-wifi-risks
- https://www.cloudwards.net/dangers-of-public-wifi/
- https://consumerist.com/2017/01/26/comcast-says-it-will-launch-wireless-service-in-middle-of-the-year/
- https://safeandsavvy.f-secure.com/2014/09/29/danger-of-public-wifi/
- http://money.cnn.com/2014/06/16/technology/security/comcast-wifi-hotspot/index.html
- http://www.capetownpartnership.co.za/2014/09/why-we-need-free-public-internet/
- https://myplaceconnect.com/5-reasons-why-your-business-should-provide-free-wifi-to-customers/
- http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-cities-offer-free-public-wi-fi
- https://media-moon.com/blog/comcast-subscribers-security-concerns-about-your-xfinity-wifi-hotspot-in-your-home/
- https://business.comcast.com/help-and-support/internet/comcast-business-access-public-xfinity-wifi-hotspot
- http://cumberlink.com/news/local/comcast-makes-wi-fi-available-while-outdoors/article_f7ae9c52-b717-509f-bb32-bf1e904aa4a2.html
- http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/APTA-Millennials-and-Mobility.pdf
- https://amagicalmess.com/2015/01/i-love-about-xfinity-internet.html
- https://www.xfinity.com/support/internet/constant-guard/
- https://smallbiztrends.com/2014/06/benefits-of-offering-free-wifi.html
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/08/03/most-travelers-consider-free-wi-fi-the-most-important-factor-in-choosing-a-hotel-infographic/#5efed2a135cb
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10 comments on “Security Concerns with Public WiFi Hotspots”
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I am interested in learning more about how consumer and corporate spaces are creating and adopting various technologies.
Nice post! Comcast’s approach certainly is interesting, and I see more companies following suit, so it is reassuring to learn that they did think things through in terms of security. Does make me wonder if the model will be flipped in a few years and companies like Comcast, or even IoT device vendors, will build their own VPN solutions to prevent customers from attacks..
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Hi Arshin,
Thank you for your post and information.
Wifi is everywhere nowsaday and public Wifi became something normal in a city. However, there are more and more news showing that it is easy to get hacked by connecting to some unknown Wifi.
An Evil Twin hotspot is a Wi-Fi access point set up by a hacker or cybercriminal. It is meant to mimic a legitimate hotspot provided by a nearby business, such as a coffee shop that provides free Wi-Fi access to its patrons. Hackers and cybercriminals are then allowed to both eavesdrop on network traffic and insert themselves into the data conversation between their victims and the servers that the victims access while connected to the Evil Twin hotspot.
People should aware of this issue and governemnt should monitor this aspect asap.
references:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_twin_(wireless_networks)
MS&E 238-A student
Fung Tsz Sum
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Incredibly interesting post Arshin! I appreciated how you took a complex topic and made it seem quite simple. Being that we, as technology users, are so connected to wifi, it’s easy to forget just how dangerous public wifi can be. While I had heard of the dangers of doing online banking or exposing sensitive details, before Friday, I had little idea of how easy it is to hack into public wifi. According to Digital Trends, Pineapple Wi-Fi devices that can be purchased on Amazon are used to create website are are alarmingly similar to the real thing. While you may think you are sending your information to the HTTPS website, it’s actually going to the fake website that the device created. It’s alarmingly easy to have your information stolen in our current technological world.
I’m also glad that Comcast decided to think critically about security regarding their shared network. I believe that having access to Internet anywhere there is Comcast is an incredible step forward in the idea of being connected to wifi 24/7 anywhere you go. By adding a separate antennae, it seems like a smart idea for a complex problem.
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Thanks Arshin for the great post! Interesting fact about Comcast. Have you seen any news about cybercrime committed via Comcast? If yes, could you share?
Noted that the rogue wi-fi at public areas is a growing concern. Users need to pay extra attention when choosing a public wifi to connect. At cafe or restaurant or hotel, I usually ask the cashiers or staff about the legitimate wifi-network name and password.
As I was a frequent traveler, I did see many similar wifi-network names at airports. I usually use my own mobile network when possible as business trips expenses were covered by my company. If not, I would usually look for signs about the proper airport wifi name, to avoid falling into bad actors’ trap.
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Thanks for such an insightful post.
It’s very interesting that you brought up the use of “rogue hotspots.” I teach courses on the use of Kali Linux and Metasploit to perform Penetration Testing against WiFi networks. One of my favorite techniques when performing a PenTest is to obtain the PSK or credentials to a Wireless LAN and then set up a Fake AP to perform an Intercept or Eavesdropping attack on a Wireless Client.
For Example:
If you were in a location where a WiFi Hotspot was deployed and wanted to intercept traffic being sent to and from someone’s laptop, you could setup a (1) a Web Authentication Portal that resembled the portal that’s in use (Airport WiFi, Starbucks, etc.) and (2) an SSID (Service Set Identifier) that is identical to the Hotspot inside of Starbucks, but uses a different BSSID (MAC Address of AP). Once this has been established, people will associate to your SSID believing that it’s the actual SSID of the establishment.
If a user that’s being Targeted is already connected to the HotSpot SSID, you can initiate a DeAuth attack using the actual BSSID on the HotSpot using a WiFi Development Board (Ebay $3.96) and then initiate your DeAuth attack from a mobile phone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQQhBdCQOTM
Once they have established an open or unauthenticated/encrypted session to your Rogue AP/Hotspot, you can simply relay their traffic through your AP to the Internet, whilst capturing their traffic in its unencrypted form and stealing data.
In addition to stealing data, frames can also be modified using simple replay tools (Colasoft Player) or modified to perform a Man-in-the-Middle attack on an unsuspecting network.
PLEASE NOTE: The use of these tools on a Wireless LAN that doesn’t belong to you is STRICTLY PROHIBITED and considered to be ILLEGAL by the FCC. The FCC has indicated that the use of DeAuthenticating a client is punishable by fine or time in Prison.
See the following link for details.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/warning-wi-fi-blocking-prohibited
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Interesting post, Arshin! The past explosion of free public wi-fi has been an enormous boon for everybody. Nowadays these free access points are available almost everywhere in the public sphere. But this kind of freedom comes at a price though. I am sure that only a few users truly understand the risks associated with these connections. That’s still a big problem!
The biggest threat to free wi-fi security is the ability for the hacker to position himself between you and the connection point. So instead of talking directly with the hotspot, you’re sending your information to the hacker, who then relays it on.
While working in this setup the hacker has access to every piece of information you’re sending out on the internet. For example emails, credit card information and even security credentials to an individual business network. Once the hacker has that information, he can access your system as if he were you (look at Kaspersky 2017: How to Avoid Public wi-fi Security Risks).
So I definitely agree with Kam Fung’s comment. @Arshin: Did you or somebody else find any news about cybercrime committed via Comcast?
Anyway, learning how to protect yourself by using safeguards is really important if you have secret data on your mobile device during using the free wi-fi.
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Great post Arshin! I recently read a news report where in a local business made a rather crazy terms and conditions for the use of its WiFi hotspot. It included a clause saying that if you use the hotspot you will have to clean 20 dishes in return and human nature is such that many people didn’t read the terms and conditions. Thank fully this was a joke to raise awareness about the issue but it goes to highlight how hotspots can be misused by including crazy terms which could lead to data being stolen and also hacking. Let me know your thoughts!
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Saran, this is increasingly becoming common, with an incident where many people agreed to cleaning through Wi-Fi terms. It can become scary when odd or unfavorable conditions are added, and as you mentioned, users are likely to ignore the terms and conditions. In most cases, the terms and conditions are in very small fonts and extremely lengthy which prevents users from reading them due to time constraints and urgency.
Fortunately, users were not forced to abide by these terms yet, but I hope more actions are taken to raise awareness or prevent such terms from being enforced.
In my recent article, I also talked about how just being in a wifi connection; not ceccesarily connecting to the wifi, if your phone has a specific Broadcom chip it can be hacked. We really need to be careful when we access especially unknown wifi connections.
Thank you for your insightful post, Arshin!
Indeed public hotspot can be a concern, although I myself had used xfinity wifi and felt pretty safe, there are still a lot to go for public wifi hotspot to achieve total safety. Data can be sold for so much money nowadays and it led a “dark” business to develop and that is the reason why public wifi can be so unsafe nowadays.