WA man set up fake free wifi at Australian airports and on flights to steal peopleâs data police allege Cybercrime The Guardian

pInvestigation launched after airline reported a suspicious network popped up during a domestic flight in AprilppA man has been charged after he allegedly set up fake free wifi networks at Australian airports and on domestic flights to steal personal data from unsuspecting members of the publicppThe 42yearold Western Australian man is facing nine cybercrime charges and was due to appear in Perth magistrates court on FridayppAustralian federal police allege the man created âevil twinâ wifi networks â which mimicked legitimate networks â to trick users into entering their personal detailsppSign up for Guardian Australiaâs free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundupppThe fake pages were allegedly set up at Perth Melbourne and Adelaide airports on domestic flights and at other locations that police said were linked to the manâs previous employmentppPolice launched an investigation in April after an airline reported its staff were worried about a suspicious wifi network that popped up during a domestic flightppFederal police said on Friday they had discovered a portable wireless device laptop and mobile phone when they searched the manâs baggage after he returned to Perth airportppThe man was arrested and charged after a second search of his home in the Perth suburb of PalmyrappPolice allege the manâs fake wifi networks took users to a dummy page that asked for their email or social media login details Those details were then saved to the manâs devices and could be used to access other personal information including the online communications photos videos or bank detailsppThe 42yearold has been charged with unauthorised impairment of electronic communication possession of data with the intent to commit a serious offence unauthorised access or modification of restricted data dishonestly obtaining personal financial information and a possession of identification offenceppSign up to Morning MailppOur Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day telling you whatâs happening and why it mattersppafter newsletter promotionppDet Insp Andrea Coleman from the AFPâs cybercrime division said members of the public should be careful when logging on to public wifi networksppâYou shouldnât have to enter any personal details â such as logging in through an email or social media accountâ she saidppColeman advised anyone who tried connecting to free wifi networks in airports or on domestic flights to change their passwords and report any suspicious activity to the policeppShe also urged users of public networks to ensure they had taken personal cybersecurity precautions â such as refraining from logging on to banking sites and performing other tasks involving sensitive information disabling filesharing on their devices and installing virtual private networksp