Technology

Beware Of WiFi Bandits Known As 'Evil Twins'

BOSTON (CBS4) ― You can't walk by a coffee shop these days without seeing a crowd of people inside surfing the net on their laptops. Public WiFi connections have made it a breeze to jump online from almost anywhere, but that convenience doesn't come without risk.

The problem is the WiFi connection you choose could be a fraud, known as an evil twin. "An evil twin is someone pretending to be an official looking WiFi hotspot in order to steal your information," said Jonathan Singer, a computer security expert with the Yankee Group.

Once they have you, hackers can use a number of tricks to get their hands on your credit card numbers or banking information.

Singer and two of his colleagues demonstrated how easy it was to create an evil twin. Within minutes, someone from a coffee shop across the street logged onto their fake hotspot.

We talked to several people on the street and many of them had never heard of evil twins.

So how do you protect yourself? First, you should disable the option on your laptop that automatically connects to the closest or strongest hotspot (see below for instructions). Sometimes the strongest signal will be a computer to computer connection. That's a big red flag. You should never select the WiFi signal that has an icon of two computers joined together. That could be someone sitting right next to you, looking to steal your information. If you see that, choose another option.

You should also pay attention to pop up warnings. They may seem like a nuisance, but they are there to protect you. Singer says you should also never select the option that says "don't show me this warning again" unless you really know what you are doing. He says the average user should always read the pop-ups.

Finally, plug in at home if you plan to do any major transactions. "Don't do your online banking from a coffee shop, don't buy a plasma TV from a coffee shop," he warned, "you never know who is watching."

Experts say you don't have to leave your laptop at home the next time you head out for a latte, but you should be aware that the person sipping the cappuccino next to you could be an evil twin.


How to disable your Automatic Wireless Connection:

By default, a wireless-ready laptop will connect to "Any available network." This is very risky and an option you should disable.

1) Windows Classic Start menu: click Start | Settings | Control Panel
Windows XP Start menu: Start | Control Panel

2) Double-click the Network Connections icon

3) Right click the icon for "Wireless Network Connection" and choose Properties

4) In the Wireless Connection Properties box, select the Wireless Networks tab

5) If the "Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings" is not checked, third-party connection software is in use. Consult that product's web site to determine how to disable automatic wireless connections.

6) If the box is checked, under Preferred networks, highlight the name of the network to which you plan to connect. Click Advanced.

7) Click "Access point networks only"

8) Remove the check mark from automatically connect to non-preferred networks

9) Click Close, Click OK

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