Man sentenced for Wi-Fi hacking and data theft

A man has been sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for using "evil-twin" Wi-Fi hotspots to steal personal data and credentials, as reported by HackRead.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigated after staff on a commercial flight spotted a suspicious Wi-Fi network. The individual, identified as Michael Clapsis, used a portable device to create fake Wi-Fi access points that mimicked legitimate networks. Travelers who connected were redirected to fake login pages, allowing Clapsis to harvest email, social media and other account credentials. A search of his belongings revealed stolen login details and intimate photos and videos. He also accessed his employer's laptop without authorization and viewed confidential meetings related to the investigation. Additionally, he unlawfully accessed social media and online accounts belonging to several women to monitor their activity and steal private content.

Security experts advise travelers to avoid public Wi-Fi when possible, use a trusted virtual private network (VPN), disable automatic connections to open networks and refrain from entering sensitive information on unfamiliar Wi-Fi portals.

Source: HackRead