What is Rogue Wi-Fi and How Dangerous Is It

Living in a day and age where the internet is open globally, and people have access to endless information is incredible. When makes it even better is the creation of Wi-Fi, allowing people to have not only internet access, but the ability to experience it from anywhere. With Wi-Fi being such a demanded feature, it is no wonder why tons of businesses are using free Wi-Fi access as a way to draw in customers.

Generally, there is no issue. You go into your favorite restaurant, ask for their password, and you are in. However, what if there are two networks with the same name? Before just casually picking one and assuming they are identical, take a step back and understand that it could be a hacking tactic.

What is Rogue Wi-Fi?

Rogue Wi-Fi, or a Rogue Access Point, is an access point set up specifically to deceive you into thinking the network you are logging into is safe and part of the secure network you intend to access. For example, if you sit down at a coffee shop and see “Coffee Shop Wi-Fi” and “Free Coffee Shop Wi-Fi", one of them may have been set up by a bad actor to get you to connect to their network so they can compromise your computer and personal information.

What Can a Hacker Do?

If you connect to a rogue Wi-Fi access point, you are now in the arena of a potential bad actor who has the intention of acquiring your personal data or gaining access to your computer. If your firewall or anti-virus software is not on or up-to-date, the hacker could plant malicious software on your computer. An example of this is a keylogger, software that quietly runs on your computer without you noticing and collects your keystrokes. If you are logging into your bank website, the keylogger will save your username and password to send back to the hacker, giving them access to your banking information.

VPN Software

Another avenue the hacker could take is to simply sit back and monitor your activity online. Because you are accessing the internet through their access point, they can do what is called “sniff” your internet traffic and save personal data that you send. This is where using VPN client software comes in. Having a virtual private network (VPN) encrypts all of your data when you are connected to a Wi-Fi access point. So, if you do find yourself on a rogue Wi-Fi connection, the hacker will not be able to see your internet traffic in clear text.

Conclusion

If you see more than one Wi-Fi network with the same name, such as the coffee shop example above, then take precautions. You can ask the service owner, which is one of the safest measures. Or, if you plan on guessing, have a VPN installed just in case it really is a rogue Wi-Fi. There are hackers all over the internet looking for ways to steal user data. Make sure to be cautious and take proper security measures, so you do not fall victim and have your data compromised.