Beware of Hotspot WiFi privacy and security

Simple Scan shows all WiFi devices at this location.

 As is common for many Canadians, I frequent Tim Horton’s for coffee and meetings. Recently, they’ve started offering free WiFi at many of their locations which is obviously very attractive for business as well as travelers, especially tourists who want to avoid roaming charges on their smartphones.

However, as you can tell by these screenshots, all it takes is for someone to launch a simple tool that essentially says “Who is here?” over the wireless network and everyone’s device reports back.

Unless you want to advertise your name and type of device you’re using, you may want to be careful and not use free WiFi locations at places like Tim Horton’s.

If you’ve followed our past advice to use VPN connections when visiting hotspots, unfortunately that would not avoid this kind of exposure either.

One tap and additional details are exposed per device

Tim Horton’s could have chosen to isolate each device so that scans such as these turn up no results. However, turning on isolation, means that you could not transfer files or exchange any information peer-to-peer like you can at home or other private wireless networks. While I’m sure such a discussion took place prior to a modern-day WiFi deployment, it may have come down to a decision between security and convenience. Here they chose convenience.

As usual, when it comes to protecting your confidentiality and security, awareness is key. Just be aware what you are broadcasting or advertising, and then use at your own discretion.

Note::  the intent is to educate and open some eyes.