Author: Jared Howe

How Hackers Protect Themselves When Using Public WiFi

Every year, thousands of hackers and security experts descend on Las Vegas for two of the world’s largest annual hacker conventions: Defcon and Black Hat. Security researchers present their latest findings and security exploits.

Keep reading to find out what types of hacking they are doing at these events and ways to protect yourself!

Will WiFi Replace Cable and Fiber Networks?

In a recent blog post, we mentioned that the next generation of WiFi technology will be much faster, and that by 2018, worldwide WiFi traffic will overtake wired traffic for the first time ever.

Now see how one Silicon Valley company plans to bring high-speed WiFi networks to underdeveloped parts of the U.S. as well as developing countries.

OpenSignal’s U.S. WiFi Study Looks at Speed, But Not Network Security

OpenSignal is a small startup with a very interesting mission: they are creating a database of WiFi access points around the world and are hoping to become the global authority on wireless networks. Their website contains analysis of all of the data they have collected, including the WiFi signal strength of all access points in a given area.

How do they do it?

Android Apps Susceptible to Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

With a man-in-the-middle attack, your app thinks it is communicating with the app’s web server, but in fact, all of your personal information is being sent directly to the hacker’s computer. Keep reading for details on the two kinds of SSL vulnerabilities that FireEye found in some of the most popular Android apps — and how to protect yourself today.

Study Shows Airline Passengers Are Demanding In-Flight WiFi

A new survey has found that airline passengers are now viewing WiFi as a necessity — not an optional perk. Consider that nearly 9 in 10 (89%) would give up beverage service and bathroom access for high-speed WiFi (even though in-flight WiFi is just like any other public WiFi: completely open and insecure). Keep reading for other surprising findings from the study.

Should You Use ‘Free’ WiFi Networks at Sporting Events?

In this day and age this is the stadium WiFi is the new standard. Because what fun is it to be at a sporting event if you can’t post pictures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram?

But what you are giving up in exchange for access to so-called “free” WiFi? And who has access to your data as a result of being online at sporting events?

The Newest WiFi Threat: Cats

Just when you thought it was safe to use WiFi…along comes the latest threat: cats. Wait, cats? Really? Well, that is if the cat comes outfitted with the newest WiFi hacking device, called WarKitteh.

What type of encryption did Coco the cat find on his neighborhood adventures? Click to find out.

Nothing Safe about Library WiFi Networks

It’s back-to-school season, and if you like to surf the Internet while at the library (or even file your taxes), remember that nearly all library WiFi networks are completely open. This means that anything you do online at the library could potentially be seen and intercepted by another person on the same network.

Keep reading for essential tips to protect you (and your children) on any library’s WiFi network.

PRIVATE WiFi Unveils WiFi Dashboard to Alert Windows 8 Users When a Wireless Network Is Unsecure

PRIVATE WiFi today unveiled a new free app — WiFi Dashboard — for Windows 8 personal computers and Surface tablets, which will alert users when they are using unsecure or unencrypted WiFi. Many hotspots — whether people access them in a hotel, coffee shop, park, or are using an open connection at home — are unsecure. WiFi Dashboard shows the connectivity status of the network and provides information about the network name, IP address, and location. This new app is the first of its kind for Windows 8 to alert people when they are connected on an unsecure connection, so that they can take immediate steps to protect their identity and personal information.

WiFi to Get Faster and Overtake Wired Traffic by 2018

The next generation of WiFi technology will be able to transmit over 7 Gbps (gigabytes per second) data speed, and by 2018, worldwide WiFi traffic will overtake wired traffic for the first time ever.

This means that as fast as things move now in the digital world, they will begin to move even faster.