Beware The Evil Pineapple

You’ve spent the last few hours working online at your favorite coffee shop enjoying a nice latte and a muffin you promised yourself you wouldn’t have. All-in-all, a good day. Until it’s not. It may take a day or two, but you realize that you’ve been hacked, and your data and your business are compromised. How did this happen?

Well, among other possibilities, you could have been hit with an evil pineapple while enjoying that latte and muffin. Let me explain.

Unfortunately, network security at cafés and coffee shops is notoriously unreliable. These businesses exist to sell coffee and snacks, not to keep your data secure. While you were working, a hacker may also have been plying their trade by using what is called a pineapple device. Although originally developed for companies to test their cybersecurity, hackers now use them for their own malicious purposes.

What this data-thief does is called a “man-in-the-middle” attack. The device, or pineapple, is setup to exactly mirror the café’s Wi-Fi network. You don’t notice any difference because there isn’t any – but the digital crook now has access to all your data.

Additionally, once the man-in-the-middle assault is underway, the cybercriminal can now establish what is called an “evil portal,” which goes a step further and mimics legitimate websites such as Amazon, eBay, Facebook, etc. Once ensnared, you’re then redirected to the false website where any data you enter will be stolen.

There are other ways that you can be digitally compromised at your favorite café, but these are two of the main methods.

However, if you choose to work at a professional enterprise, such as Sprout CoWorking, you’ll be under the protection of a member’s only network. No outside, unknown players. In fact, guests are routed to a “guests only” connection, eliminating member exposure to any hacking, etc. And you get free coffee, but no pineapple. To take a tour and discover the other benefits available at Sprout CoWorking, book a tour here!