Users of Wi-Fi wireless internet technology were warned today of a new internet fraud risk that is being dubbed the “evil twin”. Apparently hackers have been constructing artificial internet environments, which can capture wireless connection requests.
Users, when connected, believe that they are connected to the Internet, and may perform banking or other transactions which contain sensitive information, allowing the fraudulent administrator to collect and exploit this information. Firewalls offer no protection against this as the user has “voluntarily” connected to the false internet.
Brian Collins, a professor from Cranfield University, and former chief scientist at GCHQ, the Government’s electronic eavesdropping station, made the following statement:
"Users need to be wary of not using their wi-fi enabled laptops or other portable devices in order to conduct financial transactions or anything that is of a sensitive personal nature.Instead of using cables, wi-fi devices link to the internet by sending radio waves to a nearby "hotspot" which relays data to the internet service provider. This makes them more vulnerable to attack, as anyone with suitable equipment can locate a hotspot and take its place, substituting their own "evil twin".
It is my opinion that a person who is capable of creating an artificial Internet environment, that is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing, could probably find a legitimate and financially lucrative application of their skills that does not carry incarceration as a job hazard.