Update: My work's public Wi-Fi in Chicago got spoofed at a conference

Honestly, I saw a fake network with the hotel's name and almost connected before my VPN flagged it. Has anyone else run into a rogue hotspot like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_johnson2mo ago

How did your VPN catch it? That's pretty wild. I always just assume public wifi is a bad idea, but a straight up copy of the hotel's network is next level. Makes you wonder how many people just click connect without a second thought. My buddy had his email get popped at an airport from something similar. Good on you for having that VPN turned on.

cameron_webb2mo ago

Yeah, @elliot_johnson, that airport story is scary.

claireo671mo ago

and @elliot_johnson you hit the nail on the head about people just clicking connect. it's like everyone's in such a rush to get online they forget these networks are wide open. i've been noticing this pattern where people treat public wifi like it's safe as their home network, but it's really just a free for all. the fake hotspot thing is just the tip of the iceberg too, i've seen people connect to "free airport wifi" with no password required and then log into their bank right there. it's crazy how much trust we put in these networks without thinking twice.