FBI Warns of Malicious Hotspots, Evil Hotel Internet

By Douglas Perry
published

The fact that hotel Internet connections are now being used as a malware gateway may not be as surprising as the fact that it took so long until this loophole was actively exploited.

The FBI is warning Americans that hackers are attempting to install malware on computers via the sign-in process commonly used by hotels. The problem apparently does not affect the U.S., but hotels abroad. During the log-in, travelers have reported additional pop-up windows that suggest the update of a "widely used" software for which "updates are frequently available".

Common sense suggest to be always careful with such update and download requests, especially if they are communicated via a pop-up window. Needless to say, there is no update, but downloaded and installed malware instead.

Those who were tricked into the download of the "update", are asked to immediately contact their local FBI office, and "promptly report it" to the IC3's website.

Douglas Perry
23 Comments Comment from the forums
  • __-_-_-__
    so stupid. why hotels? anyway can make a fake AP in 5min just by googling.
    Reply
  • buzznut
    Gullible people away from home and jonesin for the internet. People are accustomed to unsecured networks in hotels, airports, etc.
    Reply
  • Devoteicon
    The posted to IC3's website is broken. You left out "v" at the end of ".gov".
    Reply
  • aoneone
    Only a complete idiot would let this happen. How can anyone who is computer savvy actually allow programs to be installed from a) a website on an unsecured network b) in a public wifi spot and c) an update notification that is NOT windows/mac updates? You'd have to be a complete moron to let this happen I'm sorry but seriously...
    Reply
  • cadder
    I took my new WinXP laptop to a hotel in Las Vegas about 7 or 8 years ago. I had just gotten it and had not had time to set it up so I was running Internet Explorer. As soon as I connected to the hotel wifi it downloaded a batch of malware into my computer. It took me two years to finally get all traces of it off of the computer. At some times the advertising windows would pop up on the screen fast enough to look like a video game and it was a full time process just to close them. I thought I would doublecross the malware by erasing IE from the hard drive so I did it. Then I watched in amazement as the malware tried to run IE and since IE was not found the malware or the OS searched the internet, found IE, downloaded it and installed it.
    Reply
  • chickenhoagie
    __-_-_-__so stupid. why hotels? anyway can make a fake AP in 5min just by googling.Hotel related AP names are used I believe, so for when a person staying at a hotel is searching for the wifi, they may connect to the malicious connection instead, and by the person seeing that they need to login to the supposed hotel wifi via their browser, they think its legit.
    Reply
  • mdahlke
    missed the g in your code for website link
    Reply
  • fb39ca4
    Hotel internet is evil anyways. $13 )(*&@#()* bucks a day, you have to be kidding me.
    Reply
  • mavroxur
    Rogue hotspots have been around forever. This is nothing new.
    Reply
  • alchemy69
    You can log in any time you want, but you can never leave.
    Reply