Wi-Fi eavesdropping is a type of man-in-the-middle attack that tricks unsuspecting victims into connecting to a malicious Wi-Fi network.
To perform Wi-Fi eavesdropping, a hacker sets up a Wi-Fi hotspot near a location where people usually connect to a public Wi-Fi network. This can be a hotel, a restaurant or your local Starbucks. The hacker then names the hotspot after the actual public network that people use in that location.
Once a user connects to the fraudster’s Wi-Fi, the attacker will be able to monitor the user’s online activity and be able to intercept login credentials, payment card information, and more.
Because of this and other threats, public Wi-Fi networks are considered extremely unsafe, and most security experts will recommend not using them for any sensitive task such as banking or connecting to social media accounts. If you need to get online to browse for directions or do something else that’s less sensitive, you probably can do it. But if you’re trying to pay your bills or buy something, it can wait.
