Tag Archive for: create

Can hackers create fake Hotspots?

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The demand for the Internet can lead some users anywhere they can access Internet hotspots. But, can hackers create fake hotspots? In this article, we will answer this question and explain how Internet users can prevent themselves from being vulnerable to fake and public hotspots. We will also give you tips on how you can identify fake hotspots.

Can hackers create fake hotspots?

Criminals and malicious hackers can take advantage of loopholes in the internet industry to get access to people’s privacy and undertake unwarranted cyber crimes. Internet users need to know how to engage while using public or even private Wi-Fi hotspots and still be safe always. Let us explore this part of cyber security and see ways to evade online predators who use hotspots to dupe users unknowingly.

What is a fake hotspot and how can you identify it?

A fake hotspot is a malicious wireless network that hackers can use to lure users into clicking or downloading malware into their smartphones or computers. These hotspots are usually around public places like coffee shops, airports, bus terminals, etc. They are set and seem to be legitimate which makes some users fall victim.

To identify a fake hotspot, check its name first and see how ‘real’ it looks. If it has some like ‘Free Wi-Fi, Free hotspot, or any name that doesn’t represent any business or establishment around where you are, then that might be a fake hotspot. Another way to identify a fake public Wi-Fi network is if it doesn’t require a password to access it. Most businesses offer passwords to their customers to access their hotspots.

Fake hotspots, fake public Wi-Fi networks, or Evil Twin public hotspots have the following characteristic to help you identify them.

  • They don’t have any security access codes or passwords.
  • Their connection is so slow that you can’t load pages like a safer connection
  • They are all free
  • They have page redirects that act as bait for users to click on them.
  • They imitate names that resemble those of nearby businesses, hotels, etc.

Read: Wi-Fi security when Traveling

Can hackers create fake hotspots?

Yes! Hackers can create fake hotspots to get into your devices and steal crucial information like credit card details, steal passwords, conversations, etc….

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Vatican urged to create “Cyber Security Authority”

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A group of Catholic computer experts, two whose services are employed by the Roman Curia, are calling for the creation of  a “Vatican Cyber Security Authority”. The proposal, which was made at the end of May in an article published on the LinkedIn social network, comes at a time when the Holy See has experienced an increasing number of cyber attacks. 

The authors of the article – Professors Chuck Brooks and Alessio Pecorario of Georgetown University in Washington, IT specialist Andreas Iacovou, and lawyer Yuriy Tykhovlis – aim to draw attention to two points. Firstly, the Vatican can no longer wait to take action on its own against the threats it is facing. Secondly, the Catholic Church should participate in the global reflection on the subject.

The authors say the “Catholic world” itself is in fact exposed to major threats. In particular, they say the Church runs the risk of having its “online donations” hacked. And they say Catholic healthcare facilities are prime targets from hackers who cease data in return for a ransom. Furthermore, they say the Holy See as a state-like entity is a target of “interference in diplomatic activities”.

“Weaknesses in the Vatican’s digital infrastructure”

In the face of these threats, a “Vatican cyber authority” could thus develop “policies and procedures to protect the Vatican’s digital assets, including its networks, servers, and databases”, as well as “identify potential cyber threats and weaknesses in the Vatican’s digital infrastructure” and provide internal training in the matter.

To be effective, the researchers recommend, this new Vatican authority should “be staffed by experienced cyber security professionals with expertise in a wide range of areas, including network security, incident response, and digital forensics”.

This group of experts, of which there is no equivalent in the Vatican today, should also “share information about cyber threats” with authorities in other governments, and contribute to global thinking on the subject.

“The Holy See is entitled to propose, discuss, negotiate, and promote a new normative paradigm on the governance of new technologies,” write the authors of the article,…

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Here’s How Hackers Steal Your Password and How You Can Create a Safer One

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Every year the private digital security company NordPass publishes a list of the most popular passwords across 30 countries. And as always, the current list from 2022 also contains shockingly simple ones. The top five are: “password,” “123456,” “123456789,” “guest” and “qwerty.”

Needless to say, these are weak passwords—but what makes a good one? Most people know a few rules of thumb: it should be as long as possible, contain special characters and not be a simple word. You should also change it regularly, choose a different password for each user account and never write it down. Meeting all these requirements at the same time seems almost impossible. And once you have found a good password, a website may not accept it: either it is too short, contains an illegal character—or is somehow too long. PayPal, for example, does not allow passwords longer than 20 characters. These restrictions make password selection extremely frustrating for most users.

For their secure password requirements, many Internet service providers rely on 2003 guidelines published by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology that recommend passwords with as large a mix of special characters, uppercase letters and lowercase letters as possible. Bill Burr, a former NIST employee, created these guidelines but has since told the Wall Street Journal that he regrets many of these recommendations. That’s because forcing people to change passwords and requiring them to use special characters often lead them to choose easy-to-remember (and therefore insecure) passwords that follow a particular scheme or pattern. For example, “password1” is no more secure than “password.” Thus, NIST has now revised its guidelines, but not all providers have followed suit. Very often, you are forced to use special characters, numbers, and uppercase and lowercase letters in a password.

How Are Passwords Cracked?

To learn how to choose a secure password, you need to understand how hackers do their work. The simplest approach is to systematically try all possible password combinations in what is known as a brute-force attack. Fortunately, it is rarely possible to log in to an online…

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ChatGPT is being used to create malware — what you need to know

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As ChatGPT, Bing Chat and Google Bard continue to take the world by storm, cybersecurity experts have voiced their concerns about potential threats posed by  AI. 

And it appears these concerns are increasingly valid as malware has already been created using ChatGPT. As reported by Infosecurity, WithSecure CEO Juhani Hintikka has confirmed to the news outlet that malware samples generated by ChatGPT have been spotted in the wild.

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