14 DAY TRIAL // As part of the National Consumer Fraud Week, the Queensland Police launched a campaign called the War Driving Project that’s aimed at raising awareness among Internet users regarding identity theft, especially incidents that occur due to unsecure Wi-Fi connection.
“Unprotected or unsecured wireless networks are easy to infiltrate and hack. Criminals can then either take over the connection and commit fraud online or steal the personal details of the owner. This is definitely the next step in identity fraud,” Detective Superintendent Brian Hay said.
The Queensland Police have identified a large number of wireless connections in the Brisbane area that are not secure. As part of the campaign, they plan on conducting patrols to check connections and when necessary, inform the individuals or the business owners on the dangers.
“Officers from the Hi Tech Crime Investigation Unit will patrol the Brisbane area (residential and commercial), but we are encouraging the public to not sit back and wait for this contact. Check your connection tonight and make sure it is protected,” Hay explained.
Officers will specifically look for open connections, the ones that don’t have any protection measure implemented, and ones that rely on Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), which is considered to be outdated and highly vulnerable.
Consumers and firms will be advised to enable security encryptions such as WPA or WPA2, which are far more reliable against cybercriminal operations.
This campaign targets only some Australian users, but identity thieves certainly don’t limit their malicious actions. This is why internauts worldwide are advised to set up Wi-Fi routers in a way which ensures that only authorized individuals can access the network.
Wi-Fi router manufacturers are aware that not everyone is able to set up a comprehensive protection, which is why they offer devices that can be easily configured, specially designed for inexperienced customers.
Note. My Twitter account has been erroneously suspended. While this is sorted out, you can contact me via my author profile.