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Wi-Fi vulnerabilities highlighted by court case

A cyber crook in the US is threatening to publish personal details of an American hotel's guests which he allegedly got his hands on after compromising a Wi-Fi network at the hotel, court documents have shown.

If he goes ahead with his threat, guests at the hotel owned by the Thompson Group could have an online security nightmare in their hands, reports Vnunet.com.

According to internet security expert David Hobson, managing director of Global Secure Solutions, the case shows the vulnerabilities of open Wi-Fi portals and underlines the need for more stringent online security measures.

He said: "Many hotel guests use webmail, rather than email client software, on their laptops for the sake of convenience.

"If a hacker gains access to an open Wi-Fi network in the hotel, they can easily eavesdrop on the webmail sessions with potentially embarrassing consequences for the guests and the hotel concerned.

After the recent Ahmedabad blasts in India, US national Ken Haywood found himself on the receiving end after it was discovered that his computer was compromised then used to send a terrorist email related to the attacks.

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