Travelers utilizing public WiFi networks are increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated cyber threats, chief among them the ‘Evil Twin’ attack. An Evil Twin is a fraudulent WiFi access point set up by a hacker that mimics a legitimate network (e.g., ‘Hotel Guest Access’ or ‘Airport Free WiFi’). Because the attacker broadcasts the network name (SSID) often with a stronger signal than the legitimate source, unsuspecting users often connect automatically or willingly, believing it is the official service.
Once a device is connected to the Evil Twin, all data traffic passes directly through the attacker’s server. This enables a ‘Man-in-the-Middle’ (MITM) attack, where the criminal can intercept communication, capturing sensitive information. For cryptocurrency holders, the risk is acute. When a user attempts to log into a crypto exchange, decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, or even a cloud-based password manager containing financial credentials, the hacker gains immediate access to unencrypted login details, two-factor authentication codes, and potentially monitoring traffic to redirect the user to a malicious phishing site that harvests private keys or seed phrases.
Given the high value and irreversible nature of crypto transactions, connection security is paramount. To mitigate this pervasive threat, travelers should always employ a robust Virtual Private Network (VPN) when connecting to any public or unknown WiFi network. Users must also verify that sensitive websites use HTTPS (Secure Socket Layer) and check the validity of the SSL certificate. Whenever possible, sensitive crypto operations should be performed using secure mobile data or through dedicated, trusted hardware wallets rather than relying on shared public networks.
Source: Traveling? ‘Evil Twin’ WiFi networks can steal crypto passwords
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