Best Practices for Public Networks
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| exploits | 漏洞利用 | lòu dòng lì yòng |
| zero days | 零日漏洞 | líng rì lòu dòng |
| motivation | 动机 | dòng jī |
| evil twin | 双胞胎恶意热点 | shuāng bāo tāi è yì rè diǎn |
| access point | 接入点 | jiē rù diǎn |
| SSID | 服务集标识符 | fú wù jí biāo shí fú |
| jamming | 干扰攻击 | gān rǎo gōng jī |
| denial of service | 拒绝服务 | jù jué fú wù |
| war driving | 战争驾驶 | zhàn zhēng jià shǐ |
| encrypted | 加密的 | jiā mì de |
| virtual private network | 虚拟专用网络 | xū nǐ zhuān yòng wǎng luò |
Know your adversary
- Low-skilled attackers buy ready-made tools and reuse known exploits 漏洞利用.
- High-skilled attackers write their own tools and find zero days 零日漏洞.
- Their motivation 动机: greed, revenge, politics, or belief.
Three wireless attacks
- Evil twin 双胞胎恶意热点: a fake access point 接入点 copies the real network name (SSID 服务集标识符).
- Jamming 干扰攻击: a strong signal floods the air — a denial of service (DoS) 拒绝服务.
- War driving 战争驾驶: driving around to detect networks and leaked signal.
Which wireless attack is it?
An evil twin copies the SSID; jamming floods the air to block access; war driving hunts for networks.
An adversary sets up a fake access point copying the real SSID. This is a(n)...
Copying the SSID to lure victims is the evil twin.
An undocumented vulnerability that no patch exists for yet is called a...
A zero day is a brand-new, unpatched hole.
Protecting yourself
- Check the network name exactly matches the one you want.
- Prefer encrypted 加密的 sites (HTTPS) so an evil twin cannot read them.
- Use a virtual private network (VPN) 虚拟专用网络 to encrypt all traffic.
Connecting to free Wi-Fi called "CoffeeShop" does not prove it is the real one. An evil twin copies the name exactly. Verify the network with staff before joining.
On an evil-twin network, HTTPS sites still keep your data encrypted.
HTTPS encryption protects you even if traffic is intercepted.
A tool that encrypts all your traffic to its operator is a ____.
A VPN (virtual private network) encrypts your traffic.
Which protect you on public Wi-Fi? (Choose all)
Turning off your firewall makes you less safe.
You join "Airport_Free_WiFi" and log into your bank. If it was an evil twin, the adversary sees your traffic — but because the bank uses HTTPS, your login stays encrypted and safe. HTTPS is your seatbelt on public Wi-Fi.
Adversaries differ by skill and motivation. On public Wi-Fi, beware the evil twin, jamming, and war driving. Protect yourself by verifying the network name, preferring HTTPS, and using a VPN.