Technology

59534 readers

3195 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

Follow the lemmy.world rules.
Only tech related content.
Be excellent to each another!
Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
Politics threads may be removed.
No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

106

[Corp Blog] What is an evil twin attack, and should they worry you? Alternate title: should you use VPN when connecting to the public WIFI? (protonvpn.com)

submitted 9 months ago by Raisin8659@monyet.cc to c/technology@lemmy.world

20 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Comment:

I thought this article gives a balanced view if we should VPN with a public Wifi network, instead of the normal VPN vendor selling fears.

Summary:

Evil Twin Attacks - Not a major threat anymore

What is it?

Evil twin attacks involve hackers setting up fake Wi-Fi networks that mimic legitimate ones in public places. Once connected, attackers can spy on your data.

Why was it scary?

Before 2015, most online connections weren't encrypted, making your data vulnerable on such networks.

Why isn't it a major threat anymore?

HTTPS encryption: Most websites (85%) now use HTTPS, which encrypts your data, making it useless even if intercepted.
Let's Encrypt: This non-profit campaign made free website encryption certificates readily available, accelerating the widespread adoption of HTTPS.

Are there still risks?

Non-HTTPS websites: A small percentage of websites (15%) lack HTTPS, leaving your data vulnerable.
WiFi sniffing: Although not as common, attackers can still try to intercept unencrypted data on public Wi-Fi.

Should you still be careful?

Use a VPN: Even with HTTPS, your browsing history can be tracked by Wi-Fi providers and ISPs. A VPN encrypts your data and hides your activity.
Be cautious with non-HTTPS websites: Avoid entering sensitive information like passwords on such websites.

Overall:

HTTPS encryption has significantly reduced the risks of evil twin attacks. While vigilance is still recommended, especially when using unencrypted websites, it's no longer a major threat for most web browsing.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Nollij@sopuli.xyz 2 points 9 months ago

I think you're being down voted because IP and encryption serve very different purposes in different ways. Look into the OSI model, which is the standard for modern network connectivity. IP lives at layer 3, network. TCP lives at layer 4. Encryption, such as SSL, lives at layer 6. I'm not even really sure how the IP layer would even have security, short of a VPN, which itself breaks the mesh network model.

Also, the Internet and many of its standard protocols were created a very long time ago. TCP/IP was created in 1974. The "Internet" at that point was acoustic couplers and directly dialing your destination, typically a university or major research company.

I agree that all websites should be HTTPS these days. It's why Google has been pushing it (and punishing those that don't) since 2017. But it's built on ancient designs.