• Los Angeles Times, Monday, March 19, 2007 12:01 PM

Get ready Web users for a new form of attack: That open wireless hotspot you thought was pretty awesome for providing you with free Web access might actually be a trap. That's right, hackers are creating open look-alike wireless access points so they can get access to your sensitive information.

Geoff Bickers of the FBI in Los Angeles says consumers should be particularly wary of highly trafficked Wi-Fi hotspots, such as cafes, airports and hotels, where the laptop turnover is significant. "There's an axiom in the computer world that convenience is the enemy of security."

Just ask Mark Loveless, who was almost Wi-Fi-jacked at a hotel in San Francisco last month. Loveless was presented with two Wi-Fi networks using the hotel's name--one beginning with a lowercase letter, the other beginning with a capital. He chose the latter, and then a screen popped up asking for a log-in and password. A former hacker himself, Loveless disconnected, sensing what's called an "evil twin" attack. Fortunately, he knew better. Most don't.

Just think of the 14.3 million American households using Wi-Fi, a figure researcher JupiterResearch expects to hit 49 million by 2010. There could already be millions of laptops automatically configured to access networks named "Linksys" or "NETGEAR." As Corey O'Donnell, vice president of marketing for the security software firm Authentium, warns, "If I'm a hacker, it's as easy as setting up a network with one of those names and waiting for the fish to come."

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