Wireless Network Settings Pose Risks for Personal Data
When we dispose of old computers or phones, we often remember to delete personal photos and correspondence. However, one type of personal data that is commonly overlooked is the connection settings to our home Wi-Fi network, according to a report by Kaspersky.
Attackers see access to Wi-Fi networks as valuable for various purposes. The least harmful benefit, although illegal, is the ability to use a neighbor’s network to avoid paying for their own communication. However, the theft of personal information poses a much greater risk as devices in a home network tend to trust each other, making it easy to seize photos and documents.
The situation becomes even worse when hackers use Wi-Fi for illegal activities, such as spam newsletters. Spam, defined as unwanted messages, takes various forms including electronic messages, instant messages, search spam, blog spam, advertising spam, SMS spam, forum spam, and spam on social networks. It accounts for about 80% of the world’s postal traffic.
Distributing spam is a profitable strategy for many companies due to its low cost and the vast coverage of potential customers it offers.
In addition, attackers utilize spam to carry out phishing fraud attempts, aiming to obtain credit card information and access passwords for user online payment systems. Typically, such spam is disguised as an official message from the bank administration.