Vendor Warns Of New Type Of 'WiPhishing' Attack

Wireless LAN security vendor AirDefense Monday warned of a new variant of the so-called 'WiPhishing' attacked aimed at wireless LAN users.

The company said in a statement that the new type of attack starts with a fraudulent log-in page for a public Wi-Fi network such as a hotspot. When the user logs on to the fake page, the hacker downloads as many as 45 viruses to the computer.

The company said in a statement that it first detected the attack at a trade show in the U.K. and that it appeared again at last week's Interop trade show. The attack seems to be aimed at business people, the company said.

As a result, the vendor warned business users to take particular precautions when logging on at hotspots such as those in airport lounges, which have a high concentration of business users. It suggested taking common security precautions such as using a firewall, using only SSL-secured Web sites and, if possible, to use hotspots only for Web surfing unless you also can use a virtual private network (VPN).

The company also suggested turning off your wireless connection when not in use.