Wi-fi in homes can be hacked in five seconds
October 18, 2010 | Views
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LONDON: Wireless internet networks in millions of homes can be hacked in less than five seconds.
The wi-fi hacking means criminals can spy on the activities offamilies, perhaps stealing their identity and banking details to raidtheir accounts, says a new study.
The hackers couldalso use the wi-fi access to tap into illegal pornography or upload anddownload stolen music and movies without being traced.
An 'ethical hacking' experiment in six cities, using freely availablesoftware, found almost 40,000 home wi-fi networks at high risk, reportsthe Daily Mail.
Separately, there are concernsabout the security of those who use free wi-fi networks offered bycoffee shops and other businesses.
The study,commissioned by card protection and insurance firm CPP, highlights acavalier attitude to keeping data safe.
Accordingto the findings, nearly a quarter of private wireless networks have nopassword attached, making them accessible to criminals.
CPP fraud expert Michael Lynch said: 'We urge all wi-fi users toremember that any information they volunteer through public networkscan easily be visible to hackers."