AT&T users: monitor your WiFi connections!

[DelJo63]

ABC13.com http://abc13.com/hackers-could-impersonate-at-t-wi-fi-to-attack-your-phone/2797216/

Apparently, any hotspot ATTWIFI will auto connect to any smartphone with AT&T cell service.

As a matter of conserving battery power, I am now in the habit of Swiping up from the home screen to access the mini-control panel and using Airplane Mode to disable all transmitters - - at least until I know I'm going to need to go online.

 

[MaikuTech]

Wouldn't disabling the wifi on the phones would be simpler to do ?
I've been with att for a long time and being on a new lg phoenix 3.
I haven't seem them try to do a force connect, the phone os should have permissions setup in order to prevent that.

 

[DelJo63]

Wouldn't disabling the wifi on the phones would be simpler to do ?

swipping from the bottom brings Airplane Mode, WiFi & BT all accessible in one stroke( but that's iPhone). Toggling Airplane enables or disables both WiFi & BT at the same time - - that's simple to me, but knocking down WiFi is the solution here, not the HOW :grin:

I've been with att for a long time and being on a new lg phoenix 3.
I haven't seem them try to do a force connect, the phone os should have permissions setup in order to prevent that.

First you have to be near a station with the SSID = attwifi. It would autoconnect due to being an unlocked (unencrypted) channel. As far as I know (or have seen) the only control is the SSID passphrase

 

[MaikuTech]

Sorry but that still doesn't explain why it would connect, fiddling around with the wifi settings in a smart phone will do that.
Disabling auto connect from the wifi settings in most android phones will cure that.
https://its.uiowa.edu/support/article/101595

 

[DelJo63]

Sorry but that still doesn't explain why it would connect, fiddling around with the wifi settings in a smart phone will do that.
Disabling auto connect from the wifi settings in most android phones will cure that.
https://its.uiowa.edu/support/article/101595

That's very specific solution (and well done I might say) - - except you have to FIRST be connected at least once. As there a likely more than just one attwifi station about town, the protection from one instance is unlikely to cover all others as connections are pair-wise unique and each station has a unique identifier.

The AT&T issue here is a non-standard connection INITIATED from the SSID, not the cell phone by a user. The cellphone becomes complicit by accepting the connection without notice. :sigh:

 

[Wendell987]

Sorry but that still doesn't explain why it would connect, fiddling around with the wifi settings in a smart phone will do that.
Disabling auto connect from the wifi settings in most android phones will cure that.
https://its.uiowa.edu/support/article/101595 kissanime

This is a very informative blog for me. I am very much benefited after reading this blog. Keep sharing.

 

[GaryMove]

It's obvious. mobile operators can trace each your step.