Fake Wi-Fi on board a flight

Evil twins — malicious Wi-Fi hotspots that intercept user data — are back in vogue. While the threat itself is nothing new (we’ve covered it before), fake Wi-Fi incidents have recently reached new heights — literally. In a particularly interesting case from Australia, a passenger was arrested for setting up evil twins both at the airport and on board the plane during the flight.

There’s a good reason these days why passengers are more likely to use in-flight Wi-Fi: airlines are increasingly offering entertainment streamed directly to your devices rather than on the seatback screens.

Here’s how it works: after takeoff, you enable Wi-Fi on your phone, laptop or tablet, connect to the access point, open your browser, and voilà — you’re on the airline’s media portal. From there you can choose from a selection of movies, music, games, and more. And sometimes this same portal offers internet access —usually for an additional fee.

While streaming entertainment saves airlines money on installing and maintaining seatback screens, it requires more vigilance from passengers — who probably don’t expect to be targeted mid-flight. In the case mentioned above, the perpetrator carried on board a laptop and a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot with the same network name as the legitimate airline Wi-Fi.

Unsuspecting passengers, connecting to what they thought was the official network simply because its signal was stronger (the weaker, genuine one with the same name generally isn’t shown) — were then directed to a fake authentication page. This page requested an email address — and password! — or social network credentials, supposedly to sign in to the airline’s online services. According to police, the criminal intended to use this data to hijack accounts and access personal information.

The insidiousness of this kind of attack lies in the victims’ limited options: stuck on board a plane, connected to what they believe is legitimate Wi-Fi, they have just two options: (i) provide the requested information, or (ii) forgo any and all in-flight entertainment — because neither cellular networks nor other Wi-Fi access points are available during the flight. Therefore, the chances of a successful attack are… sky-high.

How to use in-flight Wi-Fi safely

Our traditional advice about using free Wi-Fi boils down to two simple tips: use 4G/5G cellular access instead of public Wi-Fi hotspots wherever possible, and when that’s not an option — protect your connection with a reliable VPN. But these don’t… quite fly at cruising altitude: cellular data is out of reach; you have to disable your VPN to connect to the in-flight portal; and even if you pay for in-flight internet access, the VPN is likely to be patchy or not work at all.

So, here’s some tailored advice for staying safe when using in-flight Wi-Fi:

• Don’t connect to in-flight Wi-Fi just out of curiosity to see what’s on offer.
• Come prepared. Download movies and music to your devices beforehand so as not to rely on the airline’s entertainment options. That done, you probably won’t need in-flight Wi-Fi at all.
• If you still do need Wi-Fi, review the instructions in your seat pocket carefully. It should list the official Wi-Fi name and connection process.
• Be wary of discrepancies. If something about the Wi-Fi connection seems off compared to the instructions, or if you’re asked to enter detailed personal information like email, passwords, passport details, or payment information, disconnect immediately and alert a flight attendant. Confirm with them whether this information is actually required to use the Wi-Fi. Show them the device screen so that they can verify the legitimacy of the connection interface.
• Avoid downloading anything during the flight. Connecting to the plane’s network should never require installing apps, plugins, or certificates. If asked to install anything of the sort — disconnect immediately by enabling airplane mode.
• If you connect to Wi-Fi to use the in-flight internet, try enabling your VPN as soon as the connection is established. If the VPN can’t be turned on, minimize your online activity, and never log in to sensitive services such as online banking, government websites, or email.
• Keep the number of devices you connect to the in-flight Wi-Fi to a minimum — preferably no more than one.
• If you do connect, before landing, make sure to go to the Wi-Fi settings and “forget” the airline network. You can then put your device in airplane mode, as required by the aviation regulations.