[Fredslist] NYC soon releasing app to verify security of Wifi.

[Corey Bearak]

If you sign in to Wi-Fi hot spots, internet at a fave cafe or diner, etc., check out the article below.


Corey B. Bearak, Esq.
Government & Public Affairs Counsel
Networker of the Year-2012| co-chair, GOtham GREEN® | Gotham Towers | LI Legal | Gotham Power Breakfast Chair | Gotham Sponsorships Chair
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Begin forwarded message:

From: "NYTimes.com" <nytdirect at nytimes.com>
Date: August 13, 2018 at 6:16:24 AM EDT
To: bearak at me.com
Subject: New York Today: Is Your Wi-Fi Network Safe?
Reply-To: "NYTimes.com" <nytdirect at nytimes.com>

Is Your Wi-Fi Network Safe?
By GABRIELLE GUZ AND ALEXANDRA S. LEVINE
 
That network looks O.K., right? Don Ipock for The New York Times
Good morning.
Picture this.
You’ve just nestled into a seat at your local coffee shop to catch up on emails and read New York Today. You click your Wi-Fi network options, select “CAFE GUEST Net,” and — woo hoo — you’re online.
The name looked innocuous enough. Convenient, too, without a password. But is that network actually safe?
“Illegitimate networks are difficult to spot because they look exactly like real ones,” said David Mitchell, the chief technology officer of Intersection, a New York-based company that manages Wi-Fi networks around the world.
Signing in to an unsecured wireless network puts much of your private information — including browser history, documents and photos — at risk of being discovered by a hacker. Even your bank login and account numbers could be compromised if you visit your bank’s website on an unsecured network.
(That’s reason enough to think twice before choosing a network that looks and feels legitimate.)
At a time when data privacy concerns have taken on added urgency, what can New Yorkers do to take extra precaution?
In the coming weeks, NYC Cyber Command, a group responsible for the city’s cyber defense efforts, plans to launch NYC Secure, an initiative to help New Yorkers protect their personal information online and strengthen the public Wi-Fi security system.
The first part of the project: a free smartphone app.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, you can turn on notifications, which will alert you when you’ve connected to an unsecured network that could make you vulnerable to a malicious user. You’ll receive a real-time pop-up with a description of the threat and recommendations for how to get around it, like connecting to a secure network the app is able to locate. And unlike many other apps, NYC Secure does not ask for personal information during the setup process.
(A release date has not been officially set, but Maya Worman, a spokeswoman for NYC Cyber Command, said the app should be available this summer.)
Until then, Mr. Mitchell gave us a tip for determining whether a network is safe: “Your device will indicate that a network is encrypted by showing a padlock icon or other visible indication next to the network name.”
So before you give in to temptation to connect to any listed network, trust the padlock.
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