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det2004

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 20, 2007
357
14
While on a recent trip, my wife tried to connect to an unsecured wifi network named "free public wifi". I told her to cancel it quick since I had remembered reading something about viral ssid's named that. Does anyone know if this would affect a mac? I'm not even convinced that if fully connected, since it wasn't listed in her preferred networks pane, but I just wanted to make sure. Thanks.
 
An SSID cannot broadcast your files, that's a load of crap.

The part about your computer broadcasting the name could be true though. Just make sure you are connecting to a "real" network, and not a computer-to-computer network. The AirPort menu shows computer-to-computer networks in a separate area.
 
An SSID cannot broadcast your files, that's a load of crap.

The part about your computer broadcasting the name could be true though. Just make sure you are connecting to a "real" network, and not a computer-to-computer network. The AirPort menu shows computer-to-computer networks in a separate area.

But if she did manage to connect, according to the article, the "free public wifi" network should appear in her preferred network panes, correct? And since I cannot find it in there, all should be well?
 
You dont need to worry about this unless your using a Windows computer

Note the original writer of the article you linked to is using and talking only about Windows XP:

"This attack is essentially exploiting the way Windows handles ad-hoc peer-to-peer wireless networking"


190820-500-375.jpg


190821-500-375.jpg


Read the article fully next time before getting paranoid.
 
Wonder which one was the original viral network? Seems pretty easy to make one too. Just go to a public place with no WiFi and create a network (with no sharing enabled) with the word free in it and another is started.

The only WiFi network have in my list is my own because my PB's WiFi sucks.
 
You dont need to worry about this unless your using a Windows computer

Note the original writer of the article you linked to is using and talking only about Windows XP:

"This attack is essentially exploiting the way Windows handles ad-hoc peer-to-peer wireless networking"


190820-500-375.jpg


190821-500-375.jpg


Read the article fully next time before getting paranoid.
. I did see that in the article....I just fail to see what makes the way osx handles networks different enough from the way windows handles them to make osx immune to something like this. I just wondered if anyone else had ever tried to connect to one of these networks and if it could affect a Mac.
 
. I did see that in the article....I just fail to see what makes the way osx handles networks different enough from the way windows handles them to make osx immune to something like this. I just wondered if anyone else had ever tried to connect to one of these networks and if it could affect a Mac.

I have (on my iBook before it died) and I have never seen it broadcasting a SSID from my PowerBook.
 
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