Often when you are in an airport or in a mall looking for free WiFi you will see several WiFi networks with very similar names, like “Airport_WiFi,” “Airport_Public_WiFI,” and “Airport_WiFi_Free.” In these cases, it is very likely that a hacker has created their own hotspot and is trying to pass it off as the legitimate public WiFi. They can even redirect you to spoof websites, which look like the legitimate website you wanted but are actually under the control of the hacker, allowing them to steal any information you enter 2.

Meanwhile, the hacker behind the MITM attack could potentially read every email you open and watch every password you enter. This can all be done without the end user – you – realizing anything is amiss. One method is called “ARP spoofing” in which the hacker associates their media access control address with the IP address of your device causing any traffic meant for your IP address to be shared with the hacker. In a MITM attack, the hacker intercepts the network traffic being transmitted between your device and the WiFi router, allowing them to monitor your online activity and even alter your interaction with websites. Here are some fairly simple exploits that a hacker could use to access your device while you are connected to public WiFi: 1. Since most public WiFi services lack a strong password, they are vulnerable to a number of techniques that hackers can use to observe your online activity, collect your personal and financial data, or even break into your device. What we often do not think about is that the same convenience that makes public WiFi so easy to use is also what makes it so attractive to hackers. We have all done it: connected to a free public WiFi network we did not know to check emails, read the news, or scroll Instagram.

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