Some people love pineapples, and some people hate them. The same can be said of WiFi Pineapples, though in this case the people who love them are hackers.
A WiFi Pineapple is a small, powerful device that can be used to steal data, snoop on unsuspecting users, or compromise your online accounts.
WiFi Pineapples are among the most dangerous threats around, because they exploit some of the most basic features of the way that WiFi networks operate.
A WiFi Pineapple looks really similar to a standard WiFi router. That’s because it is.
The only difference, in fact, is that WiFi Pineapples often have a bunch of extra aerials sticking out of the top. That’s how they got their name: I guess, in a way, these extra aerials look a bit like a pineapple.
These aerials extend the range of a WiFi Pineapple way beyond that of a standard WiFi router, and that’s what makes them so dangerous.
Using a WiFi Pineapple to perform a cyber attack is pretty easy. Have you ever noticed that when you get home, your smartphone automatically connects to your home network? That’s because it trusts that network, and it is trying to be useful.
Unfortunately, though, this is also a huge security flaw in the way that WiFi networks operate.’
Your devices actually have very little information about the networks they connect to: typically, only an SSID, or network name. That means that if an attacker sets up a network with the same name as one you trust, you (and your devices) won’t be able to tell that it is a network controlled by a hacker.
WiFi Pineapples help hackers to trick victims into connecting to networks that they control. A Pineapple is a useful tool for this for three reasons: pineapples have a huge range, meaning a hacker can project their fake network over a broad area; they are relatively cheap to buy; and some come loaded with sophisticated tools for cracking your passwords and stealing your data.
How WiFi Pineapples Can Compromise Your Security
