MOBILE THREAT IN TOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

A mobile threat in top tourist attractions is causing concern as millions of tourists are putting their personal data at risk when connecting to public Wi-Fi, according to a study by Skycure – a mobile threat defence company.

When visiting a popular tourist attraction, the last thing you’ll likely think about is a mobile threat in top tourist attractions, and the risk you take when connecting to a public Wi-Fi hotspot. Whilst you’re busy walking around a theme park, perhaps having your photo taken with an adult dressed up in a scary fun costume, you’ll no doubt be eager to get the photos up on Instagram, or off to friends and family as soon as possible, and that free Wi-Fi zone over by the café seems like the perfect place to stop for a quick drink while you upload your files. However, research conducted by Skycurehas found malicious attackers are setting up ‘fake’ Wi-Fi hotspots in the world’s top tourist attractions, so when an unsuspecting user connects to it, the hackers can steal all their personal data.

For example, let’s say that a Wi-Fi hotspot on Las Vegas strip is called ‘Las Vegas Strip’ – a malicious attacker could set one up called ‘Las Vegas Free’ which, at first glance, has a strong signal and looks legit, so some people might connect to it without giving it a moment’s thought. An attacker could then decrypt their secure connections via a man-in-the-middle attack and steal their personal information, including the usernames and passwords to their online bank account, social media and online shopping accounts and/or credit card numbers.

Skycures’ research, conducted from June 2014 to June 2015, found an alarming number of tourists are leaving the door wide open to cyber criminals who set up ‘fake’ Wi-Fi hotspots in order to steal personal data. The research also found that

while iOS devices/users connect to many more Wi-Fi network access points, Android devices/users connect to more malicious ones, and Skycure have a few theories on why that might be the case:

1.User Behavior: Android users could be more tech-savvy and their comfort level to connect to “never-seen-before” networks therefore a bit higher than iOS users.

2. Data Plans: Android users tend to choose from a greater range of carrier plans that are more economical but may have smaller data limits. Not wanting to incur fees for going over their data plans, Android users may be more likely to voluntarily connect to “Free” Wi-Fi hotspots.

Mobile threat in top tourist attractions – the 15 tourist spots vulnerable to malicious attack according Skycures’ research are:

• Times Square, New York City, NY
• Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
• Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallee, France
• Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
• Ocean Park, Hong Kong
• Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, NV
• Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood, CA
• Union Station, Washington DC
• Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA
• Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA
• Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
• St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
• Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand
• Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Orlando, FL
• Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA

Do you connect to ‘Free’ public Wi-Fi?

When you need to connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot with ‘Free’ in the router title, do you think about if the network you are connecting to is legitimate? Do you think about a possible mobile threat in top tourist attractions you visit?

Skycure found that “8 per cent of reported threats originated from a Wi-Fi hotspot with ‘Free’ in its title.”

We’re drawn to freebies, we love a bargain, but if normally something is too good to be true, it usually is. We freely give away our personal information in exchange for all sorts of goods and services, including Facebook, chocolate and cheaper life insurance premiums. When offered ‘Free’ Wi-Fi, we naively put our trust into that service, and while a number of legitimate businesses do provide free Wi-Fi, we should be on alert to malicious attackers that have set up ‘phishing’ Wi-Fi networks in order to steal our personal data, which they could use to steal your identity.

Cyber criminals can hack your smartphone within seconds, and steal your personal information, including valuable confidential data such as:

• Your social security number
• Your national insurance number
• Your online banking username and passwords
• Usernames and passwords to your social media accounts

How to protect your information from a mobile threat in top tourist attractions

• Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) -such as Hide My Ass! Pro VPN
• Update your device with the latest operating system software
• If your smartphone continues to crash and slows down, disconnect from the public Wi-Fi network immediately

Whether you’re visiting Notre Dame Cathedral or Dismaland (Banksy’s latest installation in Weston-Super-Mare, UK) remember that hackers are out there, hoping to trick you into connecting to their ‘fake’ Wi-Fi hotspot!

Don’t let cyber criminals ruin your vacation – use HMA! Pro VPN on your Android or on your iPhone or iPad and stay connected, stay secure.

Check out our great Wi-Fi safety tips to learn more!

Name of the Provider	Website Address
Hide My Ass	Visit Provider
Strong VPN	Visit Provider
Switch VPN	Visit Provider
Pure VPN	Visit Provider
IPVanish VPN	Visit Provider
Hotspot Shield Elite	Visit Provider