Why it’s time to take warnings about using public Wi-Fi, in places like airports, seriously

Published

4 months ago

September 29, 2024

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Over the years, travelers have repeatedly been warned to avoid public Wi-Fi in places like airports and coffee shops. Airport Wi-Fi, in particular, is known to be a hacker honeypot, due to what is typically relatively lax security. But even though many people know they should stay away from free Wi-Fi, it proves as irresistible to travelers as it is to hackers, who are now updating an old cybercrime tactic to take advantage.

An arrest in Australia over the summer set off alarm bells in the United States that cybercriminals are finding new ways to profit from what are called “evil twin” attacks. Also classified within a type of cybercrime called “Man in the Middle” attacks, evil twinning occurs when a hacker or hacking group sets up a fake Wi-Fi network, most often in public settings where many users can be expected to connect.

In this instance, an Australian man was charged with conducting a Wi-Fi attack on domestic flights and airports in Perth, Melbourne, and Adelaide. He allegedly set up a fake Wi-Fi network to steal email or social media credentials.

“As the general population becomes more accustomed to free Wi-Fi everywhere, you can expect evil twinning attacks to become more common,” said Matt Radolec, vice president of incident response and cloud operations at data security firm Varonis, adding that no one reads the terms and conditions or checks the URLs on free Wi-Fi.

“It’s almost a game to see how fast you can click “accept” and then ‘sign in’ or ‘connect.’ This is the ploy, especially when visiting a new location; a user might not even know what a legitimate site should look like when presented with a fake site,” Radolec said.

Today’s ‘evil twins’ can more easily hide

One of the dangers of today’s twinning attacks is that the technology is much easier to disguise. An evil twin can be a tiny device and can be tucked behind a display in a coffee shop, and the small device can have a significant impact.

“A device like this can serve up a compelling copy of a valid login page, which could invite unwary device users to enter their username and password, which would then be collected for future exploitation,” said Cincinnati-based IT consultant Brian Alcorn.

The site doesn’t even have to actually log you in. “Once you’ve entered your information, the deed is done,” Alcorn said, adding that a harried, weary traveler probably would just think the airport Wi-Fi is having issues and not give it another thought.

People who are not careful with passwords, such as use of pet’s names or favorite sports teams as their password for everything, are even more vulnerable to an evil twin attack. Alcorn says for individuals who reuse username and password combinations online, once the credentials are obtained they can be fed into AI, where its power can quickly give cybercriminals the key.

“You are susceptible to exploitation by someone with less than $500 in equipment and less skill than you might imagine,” Alcorn said. “The attacker just has to be motivated with basic IT skills.”

How to avoid becoming a victim of this cybercrime

When in public places, experts say it’s best to use alternatives to public WiFi networks.

“My favorite way to avoid evil twin attacks is to use your phone’s mobile hotspot if possible,” said Brian Callahan, Director of the Rensselaer Cybersecurity Collaboratory at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Users would be able to spot an attack if through a phone relying on its mobile data and sharing it via a mobile hotspot.

“You will know the name of that network since you made it, and you can put a strong password that only you know on it to connect,” Callahan said.

If a hotspot isn’t an option, a VPN can also provide some protection, Callahan said, as traffic should be encrypted to and from the VPN.

“So even if someone else can see the data, they can’t do anything about it,” he said.

Airport, airline internet security issues

At many airports, the responsibility for WiFi is outsourced and the airport itself has little if any involvement in safeguarding it. At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, for example, Boingo is the Wi-Fi provider.

“The airport’s IT team does not have access to their systems, nor can we see usage and dashboards,” For said an airport spokesman. “The network is isolated from DAL’s systems as it is a separate standalone system with no direct connection to any of the City of Dallas’ networks or systems internally.”

A spokeswoman for Boingo, which provides service to approximately 60 airports in North America, said it can identify rogue Wi-Fi access points through its network management. “The best way passengers can be protected is by using Passpoint, which uses encryption to automatically connect users to authenticated Wi-Fi for a safe online experience,” she said, adding that Boingo has offered Passpoint since 2012 to enhance Wi-Fi security and eliminate the risk of connecting to malicious hotspots.

Alcorn says evil twin attacks are “definitely” occurring with regularity in the United States, it’s just rare for someone to get caught because they are such stealth attacks. And sometimes hackers use these attacks as a learning model. “Many evil twin attacks may be experimental by individuals with novice-to-intermediate skills just to see if they can do it and get away with it, even if they don’t use the collected information right away,” he said.

The surprise in Australia wasn’t the evil twinning attack itself, but the arrest.

“This incident isn’t unique, but it is unusual that the suspect was arrested,” said Aaron Walton, threat analyst at Expel, a managed services security company. “Generally, airlines are not equipped and prepared to handle or mediate hacking accusations. The typical lack of arrests and punitive action should motivate travelers to exercise caution with their own data, knowing what a tempting and usually unguarded -target it is — especially at the airport.”

In the Australian case, according to Australian Federal Police, dozens of people had their credentials stolen.

According to a press release from the AFP, “When people tried to connect their devices to the free WiFi networks, they were taken to a fake webpage requiring them to sign in using their email or social media logins. Those details were then allegedly saved to the man’s devices.”

Once those credentials were harvested, they could be used to extract more information from the victims, including bank account information.

For hackers to be successful, they don’t have to dupe everyone. If they can persuade only a handful of people – statistically easy to do when thousands of harried and hurried people are milling around an airport – they will succeed.

“We expect WI-Fi to be everywhere. When you go to a hotel, or an airport, or a coffee shop, or even just out and about, we expect there to be Wi-Fi and often freely available WI-FI,” Callahan said. “After all, what’s yet another network name in the long list when you’re at an airport? An attacker doesn’t need everyone to connect to their evil twin, only some people who go on to put credentials into websites that can be stolen.”

The next time you’re at the airport, the only way to be 100% sure you’re safe is to bring your own Wi-Fi.

Technology

Biden administration launches cybersecurity executive order

Published

3 hours ago

January 16, 2025

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US President Joe Biden, left, and Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, speak on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal, bringing at least a temporary halt to the war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people in the last 15 months and touched off broader turmoil across the Middle East.

Aaron Schwartz | Sipa | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The Biden administration on Thursday announced an executive order on cybersecurity that imposes new standards for companies selling to the U.S. government and calls for greater disclosure from software providers.

The White House is looking to put in place new rules “to strengthen America’s digital foundations,” Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cybersecurity and emerging technology, said in a briefing with reporters on Wednesday.

Cyberattacks have caused an increasing number of disruptions inside federal agencies and companies in recent years.

Attackers have pulled off ransomware attacks at Change Healthcare, the operator of the Colonial Pipeline and the Ascension health care system. And Microsoft said in 2023 that Chinese attackers had broken into U.S. government officials’ email accounts, prompting a critical federal report and a series of changes at the software maker.

Companies selling software to the U.S. government will have to demonstrate that their development practices are secure, according to a statement. There will be “evidence that we post on a government website for all software users to benefit from,” Neuberger said.

The General Services Administration will have to make policy that makes cloud providers provide information to clients on how to operate securely.

Companies selling products and services to the U.S. government must adhere to a new set of security practices as a result of the executive order.

Last week the White House announced the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark label to help consumers evaluate internet-connected devices. The executive order states that the U.S. government will only purchase such products if they carry the label, starting in 2027.

The order also directs the National Institute for Standards and Technology to come up with guidance for handling software updates. In late 2020, hackers gained access to Microsoft and U.S. Defense Department systems by targeting updates to SolarWinds‘ Orion software.

It’s not clear if President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration will uphold the executive order. Biden’s cybersecurity officials have not met with those who will take up the work for Trump.

“We haven’t discussed, but we are very happy to, as soon as the incoming cyber team is named, of course, have any discussions during this final transition period,” Neuberger said.

WATCH: Fmr. CISA Director Chris Krebs on cyberthreats: Expect an increase of offensive cyber activity

Technology

TSMC net profit hits record high as fourth-quarter results top expectations on robust AI chip demand

Published

5 hours ago

January 16, 2025

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TSMC net profit hits record high as fourth-quarter results top expectations on robust AI chip demand

A logo of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is seen during the TSMC global RnD Center opening ceremony in Hsinchu on July 28, 2023. (Photo by Amber Wang / AFP)

Amber Wang | Afp | Getty Images

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company‘s fourth-quarter revenue and profit beat expectations, as demand for advanced chips used in artificial intelligence applications continued to surge.

Here are TSMC’s fourth-quarter results versus LSEG consensus estimates:

Net revenue: 868.46 billion New Taiwan dollars ($26.36 billion), vs. NT$850.08 billion expected
Net income: NT$374.68 billion, vs. NT$366.61 billion expected

TSMC profit rose 57% from a year earlier to a record high, while revenue jumped 38.8%. The firm had forecast fourth-quarter revenue between $26.1 billion and $26.9 billion.

As the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer TSMC produces advanced processors for clients such as Nvidia and Apple and has benefited from the megatrend in favor of AI.

TSMC’s high-performance computing division, which encompasses artificial intelligence and 5G applications, drove sales in the fourth quarter, contributing 53% of revenue. That HPC revenue was up 19% from the previous quarter.

“The surging demand for AI chips has exceeded expectations in Q4,” Brady Wang, associate director at Counterpoint Research told CNBC, adding that revenue was also bolstered by demand for the advanced chips in Apple’s latest iPhone 16 model.

The Taiwan-based company first released its December revenue last week, bringing its annual total to NT$ 2.9 trillion — a record-breaking year in sales since the company went public in 1994.

“We observed robust AI related demand from our customers throughout 2024,” Wendell Huang, chief financial officer and vice president at TSMC, said in an earnings call on Thursday, adding that revenue from AI accelerator products accounted for “close to a mid-teens percentage” of total revenue in 2024.

“Even after more than tripling in 2024, we forecast our revenue from AI accelerators to double in 2025 as a strong surge in AI-related demand continues as a key enabler of AI applications,” Huang added.

However, TSMC may face some headwinds in 2025 from U.S. restrictions on advanced semiconductor shipments to China and uncertainty surrounding the trade policy of President-elect Donald Trump.

TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said the company will not attend Trump’s inauguration as its philosophy is to keep a low profile, Reuters reported.

Trump, who will assume office next week, has threatened to impose broad tariffs on imports and has previously accused Taiwan of “stealing” the U.S. chip business. .

Still, Counterpoint’s Wang forecasts 2025 to be another strong year for TSMC, with significant revenue growth fueled by strong and expanding demand for AI applications, both in diversity and volume.

Taiwan-listed shares of TSMC gained 81% in 2024 and were trading 3.75% higher on Thursday.

Stocks of European semiconductor companies trading on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange rose Thursday, with ASML up 3.5%, ASM International gaining 3.75% and Besi rising 5.1%.

Technology

Tesla is offering Cybertruck discounts as EV market gets crowded

Published

12 hours ago

January 16, 2025

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Tesla is offering Cybertruck discounts as EV market gets crowded

A soldier walks next to a Tesla Cybertruck, which was donated to the National Guard, after powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area forced people to evacuate, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles, California, U.S. Jan. 13, 2025.

Daniel Cole | Reuters

Tesla started offering discounts on new Cybertruck vehicles in its inventory this week, according to listings on the company’s website.

Discounts are as high as $1,600 off new Cybertrucks, with the reduced price depending on configuration, and up to around $2,600 for demo versions of the trucks in inventory, the listings show. Production of the angular, unpainted steel pickups has reportedly slowed in recent weeks at Tesla’s factory in Austin, Texas.

Deliveries of the unconventional pickup began reaching customers in 2023. CEO Elon Musk originally unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019 and said it would cost around $40,000, but its base price in the U.S. was closer to $80,000 over the course of 2024.

Wall Street previously viewed the Cybertruck as an important driver of growth for Tesla’s core automotive sales.

While the Cybertruck outsold the Ford Lightning F-150 last year in the U.S. and became the fifth best-selling EV domestically, according to data tracked by Cox Automotive, its high price, repeat recalls and production issues in Austin hampered growth. In November, Tesla initiated its sixth recall in a year to replace defective drive inverters.

As CNBC previously reported, Tesla’s deliveries declined slightly year-over-year in 2024, even as EV demand worldwide reached a record. A slew of new competitive models from a wide range of automakers eroded Tesla’s market share.

According to Cox data, full-year EV sales reached an estimated 1.3 million in 2024 in the U.S., an increase of 7.3% from the prior year. But Tesla’s sales for the year declined by about 37,000 vehicles.

The Tesla Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan ranked as the top two best-selling EVs by a wide margin. But both older, more affordable Tesla models saw sales drop from the previous year. Cox estimated Tesla sold around 38,965 Cybertrucks in the U.S. last year.

In recent days, Musk apologized to customers in California for delays in delivering their Cybertrucks. He said the trucks are now being used to bring supplies and wireless internet service to people in Los Angeles impacted by devastating wildfires.

“Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California over the next few days,” Musk wrote on X. “We need to use those trucks as mobile base stations to provide power to Starlink Internet terminals in areas of LA without connectivity. A new truck will be delivered end of week.”

WATCH: Here’s why Bank of America downgraded Tesla