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1. GeniusMusing (geniusmusing)'s status on Monday, 20-Dec-2021 18:12:00 UTC GeniusMusing

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   Security flaws found in a popular guest Wi-Fi system used in hundreds of hotels TechCrunch
   https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/17/security-flaws-wifi-gateway-hundreds-hotel/
   
   >A security researcher says an internet gateway used by hundreds of hotels to offer and manage their guest Wi-Fi networks has vulnerabilities that could put the personal information of their guests at risk.
   >...
   
   VPN anybody?
   • LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} repeated this.
   • LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1)'s status on Monday, 20-Dec-2021 18:19:16 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

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     in reply to
     Always use a #VPN when connecting at a #hotel, #coffee shop, or similar public network. Besides the venue's ISP potentially doing evil things, you also have no idea who else is on the network or what they may be doing.
   • LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1)'s status on Monday, 20-Dec-2021 18:31:32 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

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     in reply to

     • LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
     A #VPN provider that I used shut down without much notice (in fact, the only way I found out was that I visited their site months later, trying to figure out why I hadn't been able to connect).
     
     The #hotel I was using had a local provider that blocked #Fediverse instances (including Mastodon.Social), #Diaspora, #XMPP, #IRC, and a certain mail provider that I still use. They did not block: #Facebook, #Twitter, #GMail, or Outlook / #Hotmail
     
     Because I couldn't connect to the VPN, I discovered how many perfectly normal sites were blocked because they weren't on the top 100 list. I went downstairs and informed the front desk that I would be leaving their establishment because of their blocking.
     
     I received a phone call from their networking vendor, who logged into their router and proxy and turned off filtering on a list of about 25 sites they'd blocked.
     
     But the point is, the hotel and its provider cannot be trusted not to fsck with your data. Always use a VPN.