Your smartphone continuously checks accessible Wi-Fi nodes, seeking to reconnect with any that you just’ve used earlier than. You may see it occurring, and it’s very handy (although weak to spoofing and “evil twin” assaults). What you don’t see is that your smartphone additionally uploads figuring out particulars about your router to massive databases maintained by Apple, Google, and others. These databases profit you (and everybody else) by fine-tuning your gadget’s GPS location abilities. We’re right here to elucidate why you won’t need to take part and present you learn how to choose out.What Is a Wi-Fi Positioning System?Whenever you ask your mapping app for a route, it makes use of GPS to determine your start line, and to indicate your progress alongside the route. However GPS alone may be gradual, so your smartphone dietary supplements it with knowledge from a Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS). In an informative weblog publish, a Kaspersky researcher explains, “WPS is what lets you see your location virtually instantly whenever you open a map app. Counting on ‘pure’ GPS knowledge from satellites would take a couple of minutes.”Apple maintains a WPS database constructed on knowledge from iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Google has its personal WPS database, counting on the profusion of Android units. These are the 2 massive ones.When your smartphone, in its fixed seek for accessible Wi-Fi, encounters a brand new hotspot, it sends the router’s BSSID to the suitable database, together with sign energy and some different knowledge factors. What’s a BSSID? Nicely, you’re most likely conversant in the time period SSID, which is the identify you give your Wi-Fi community. A number of hotspots can have the identical SSID, however the BSSID is exclusive, primarily based on the router’s MAC handle.
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The WPS system aggregates all stories for a given BSSID and derives its finest guess as to the router’s location. If the router stays put lengthy sufficient (a number of days to per week), it will get added to the database.Plotted on a map, the database would appear to be a bunch of overlapping circles. When your cellphone queries the system requesting location knowledge, it sends knowledge for all of the routers in vary. The WPS, in impact, finds the intersection of the corresponding circles and says, “There you’re!”
(Credit score: Eric Rye/Black Hat/PCMag)
What’s Fallacious With WPS?Widespread knowledge about selecting an SSID in your residence community suggests avoiding something too near a close-by hotspot identify and preserving private knowledge out of the identify. Utilizing your handle may appear intelligent, nevertheless it’s not. Anyone passing in vary of the router sees your SSID. You don’t need to additionally give them your actual location.However there’s the rub. Anybody with adequate tech abilities can get free API-based entry to the WPS databases. Even when your SSID is GetOffMyLawn or NoFreeWeb4U, a tech-savvy ne’er-do-well can parlay the SSID and normal location into BSSID entry. And with the BSSID, they will get your actual location.That’s not a giant deal basically, however image a state of affairs the place you’re compelled to maneuver to a brand new location to flee a cyberstalker. In case your stalker beforehand captured your router BSSID, all they want do is sit again and await that BSSID to reappear within the system. You’re uncovered.If you happen to’re a hotshot govt touring the world together with your private cell hotspot, you may be topic to undesirable monitoring. It’s true that the hotspot’s BSSID usually gained’t reappear within the system till it’s been motionless for just a few days, however why take possibilities?
(Credit score: Eric Rye/Black Hat/PCMag)
Satellite tv for pc web terminals like Starlink use Wi-Fi and may be situated by way of a WPS. Such terminals are additionally typically utilized in struggle zones and different delicate areas. Researchers on the College of Maryland demonstrated the hazard by mapping Wi-Fi BSSIDs in Ukraine and Gaza. Now that’s alarming.Methods to Decide OutIf studying concerning the attainable risks has you apprehensive, or in the event you’re simply enthused about each attainable enhancement to your privateness, it’s straightforward sufficient to choose out. Each Apple and Google have agreed to disregard routers with SSIDs having a sure format. Particularly, if the router identify ends in “_nomap” they ignore it.
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To make that change, you’ll need to dig into your router’s settings, a course of that begins by figuring out the router’s IP handle. It’s not tough. Press Home windows-R to open the Run dialog, enter CMD, and press Enter. Within the ensuing command immediate, enter the command IPCONFIG. The handle you need is labeled Default Gateway, and likelihood is superb that it’s 192.168.1.1, as proven within the screenshot beneath.
(Credit score: Microsoft/PCMag)
Now open a browser window and enter the discovered IP handle into the Tackle Bar. Precisely what occurs subsequent will depend on what sort of router you may have. You’ll want a username and password to entry router settings. If you happen to draw a clean, flip the router over. Generally the credentials are printed on a sticker on the again or backside of the router. No sticker? Seek the advice of the web to seek out the default credentials in your router mannequin. If all else fails, test in together with your ISP’s tech assist.Some fashionable routers don’t assist browser-based entry to settings, relying as an alternative on a smartphone app. In such a case, making an attempt to entry settings in your browser will most likely deliver up a QR code that you should utilize to get the app.
(Credit score: Apple/PCMag)
Whether or not within the browser or an app, your subsequent process is to seek out the entry that controls the SSID. This can be labeled SSID, Community Identify, or one thing related. When you’ve discovered it, merely add “_nomap” to the prevailing identify. If the identify offers away your location, think about altering it utterly, leaving the “_nomap” ending. When you’re altering your router settings, think about selecting a brand new Wi-Fi password as properly. And in the event you logged into the settings through the use of default credentials, properly, that’s a giant safety gap. Change these credentials to one thing distinctive and retailer them in your password supervisor.Now comes the enjoyable half. For each laptop computer, each smartphone, and each sensible residence gadget, you’ll have to tweak the settings to make use of the brand new SSID and (in the event you modified it) the brand new password. Sure, there’s some work concerned, nevertheless it’s an excellent safety train, and also you’ll wind up realizing precisely what number of units are sucking memes and knowledge by way of your Wi-Fi router.
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About Neil J. Rubenking
Lead Analyst for Safety
When the IBM PC was new, I served because the president of the San Francisco PC Person Group for 3 years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial staff, who introduced me on board in 1986. Within the years since that fateful assembly, I’ve develop into PCMag’s professional on safety, privateness, and identification safety, placing antivirus instruments, safety suites, and all types of safety software program by way of their paces.Earlier than my present safety gig, I provided PCMag readers with suggestions and options on utilizing in style functions, working techniques, and programming languages in my “Person to Person” and “Ask Neil” columns, which started in 1990 and ran for nearly 20 years. Alongside the best way I wrote greater than 40 utility articles, in addition to Delphi Programming for Dummies and 6 different books protecting DOS, Home windows, and programming. I additionally reviewed 1000’s of merchandise of all types, starting from early Sierra On-line journey video games to AOL’s precursor Q-Hyperlink.Within the early 2000s I turned my focus to safety and the rising antivirus trade. After years working with antivirus, I’m identified all through the safety trade as an professional on evaluating antivirus instruments. I function an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Requirements Group (AMTSO), a world nonprofit group devoted to coordinating and enhancing testing of anti-malware options.
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