When you’re using your laptop anywhere other than on your home network it’s wise to get information about the WiFi connection you should be using before attempting to connect. Though this may seem like common sense to many, people are connecting to, and subsequently spreading, rogue networks that could eventually be used to access personal files on their systems.
The most widespread of these rogue networks, labeled “Free Public WiFi”, first surfaced about four years ago and was documented by Joshua Wright, a security expert who first noticed it in an airport.
"I went to connect to an available wireless network and I saw this option, Free Public WiFi," he recalls. "As I looked more and more, I saw this in more and more locations. And I was aware from my job and analysis in the field that this wasn't a sanctioned, provisioned wireless network, but it was actually something rogue."
Once a computer is infected it broadcasts the connection to entice others looking for Wi-Fi. For anyone in an airport or another location where there is a fee to use a wireless network, why wouldn’t they try the “Free Public WiFi?”
Unfortunately, in order to protect your computer from such a risk it’s not enough to simply remember not to sample the “Free Public WiFi”. There are other rogue networks out there that aren’t so obvious and go by more subtle names like "linksys," "hpsetup," "tmobile" or "default."
The biggest risk is to those who are running Windows XP and have not upgraded to Service Pack 3. Microsoft has patched the vulnerability in XP3, Vista, and Windows 7. Even so, that doesn’t mean that the exploit won’t be retooled to affect later operating systems.
I know I’ve seen “Free Public WiFi” before at the airport and in coffee shops and had no reason to question the legitimacy of the connection. While this currently doesn’t seem like a dangerous thing, the potential for misuse is there and a virus masked in such a way would probably spread like wildfire. This may seem like old news to some of you, but it’s always good to be reminded to “be careful out there.”
