Wireless Hacking

I read recently that laptops are becoming more popular than ever and, based on sales, are likely to overtake the humble desktop in the nearing future in terms of units shipped.

Other than the fact the laptops tend to be much more expensive to run, I am increasingly concerned about how they really are often the "security backdoor" into the corporate network.

I've read several reports of concerns about classic middleman attacks in open wifi hotspots, such as those in most cafes, motorway service stations and airports. Are you really sure you've connected to the hotspot or a rogue unit being used to probe your PC?

Most desktop PCs are well protected in the corporate world behind sophisticated firewalls and advanced antivirus scanners that check pretty much everything that passes in and out of the organisation.

The laptop, in comparison, is unlikely to have such a sophisticated firewall and is unlikely to have had its antivirus system updated since leaving the office, which could well be weeks.

The idea of running a bogus hotspot near one that sees frequent use is probably an attractive proposition to a hacker. A machine that doesn't have a particularly sophisticated firewall and which has some of its critical defences lower than it should be is clearly an easier target.

It is probably even more desirable as a means of attacking the corporate network it belongs to. If the machine is compromised while out of the office, it will literally be a Trojan horse when it next docks back inside the corporate environment.

Alarmingly, experience suggests that many businesses do not take laptop security seriously, particularly when they only have the odd one or two for senior executives - precisely the people who are likely to carry important and confidential data on them.

Revell Research Systems most definitely recommends treating all corporate laptops with considerably more suspicion than your average PC!