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Story: Marriott to double Wi-Fi coverage
Marriott Moscow Wi-Fi Security Concerns Well-Founded
Security concerns are well-founded.
In an article recently published here: http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=220684&start=0 the problem is described in some detail.
The main point of the article is that Russia's Hacker Magazine published complete details of how to exploit the Marriott Moscow Wi-Fi network -- including step-by-step instructions.
The Marriotts are not fully to blame -- the network is operated by a third-party (MoscomNET) who have failed to take any reasonable measures to secure the network in what has been almost two years since the article was published.
The article focuses on a form of attack called the "Evil Twin", but in fact an even bigger problem is the MAC-address-based authentication and completely insecure and unencrypted WiFi access.
Unfortunately, the Marriotts are not alone. Many public hotspots still use MAC-based authentication and virtually all public networks have no encryption whatsoever.
I wonder what kind of disaster needs to take place before Wi-Fi operators wise-up?
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