Many wi-fi spots vulnerable to hackers
Computer security specialist Cory Michal needs only five minutes, using store-bought technology, to access credit card information from a downtown Milwaukee restaurant.
Michal, who is co-founder of Exceed Security Systems, an Appleton company with a Milwaukee office, used about $1,000 worth of gear to tap into financial data transmitted over wi-fi systems. Driving a random two-mile-square area in downtown Milwaukee with a Business Journal reporter, Michal recently found at least 590 wireless access points, which allow users to connect to the Internet without using a land line. Of those, 40 percent were secure. The others are vulnerable to security breaches.
The lack of security in wireless systems is a concern not only to customers and clients who utilize the systems and risk identity theft. It's also an issue for business owners who have left their wireless access unsecured and could face negligence lawsuits if customer and client information is stolen. L33tdawg: This is certainly not in the least bit surprising seeing how people are more interested in 'getting their wireless to work' than to mess around with some settings to make their networks more secure. Sad but true.
