{"id":48774,"date":"2023-08-09T05:10:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T09:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=48774"},"modified":"2023-08-09T05:10:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T09:10:17","slug":"wifi-protection-for-gadget-disposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wifi-protection-for-gadget-disposal\/48774\/","title":{"rendered":"Disposing of a gadget? Remember to wipe this"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you throw away or sell an old computer or phone, you probably remember to delete photos, messages and other personal stuff. But there\u2019s another kind of personal data that (almost) no one thinks about \u2014 and it needs to be erased not only from phones, but also from watches, printers and other smart devices \u2014 even your fridge. These are the settings for connecting to your Wi-Fi network.<\/p>\n

The danger of leaky Wi-Fi access<\/h2>\n

Accessing someone else\u2019s Wi-Fi network has commercial value. The simplest and most innocent (albeit naughty) form is using a neighbor\u2019s connection<\/a>. Far less innocent is data theft: in a home or office network, devices usually trust each other, so connecting to someone else\u2019s Wi-Fi makes it easy to steal photos and documents from other network devices.<\/p>\n

Even worse is when a Wi-Fi network is infiltrated for illegal activity, such as spamming or DDoS attacks. Exploiting a discovered Wi-Fi network just once, an attacker can hack a device on it (the router itself, home network-attached storage (NAS), a video surveillance camera, or any other easily hackable devices<\/a>) \u2014 and then use it as a proxy server, without further recourse to Wi-Fi \u201cservices\u201d. Such proxies operating from home networks are in steady demand from cybercriminals<\/a>. Of course, the owner of the hacked device bears the brunt: their internet is slower; their IP address lands in various denylists; and, in rare cases, they might get blocked by the ISP or even get a police visit.<\/p>\n

As for printers, cameras and other devices on an office network, their Wi-Fi settings can be used to attack the company in question. This attack vector is great for hackers, because in many companies cybersecurity is set up to protect against threats from the internet, while office devices \u2014 especially printers \u2014 are paid little attention. By connecting to the Wi-Fi network, attackers can easily carry out data theft and\/or ransomware attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How Wi-Fi settings get stolen<\/h2>\n

Most devices store Wi-Fi network information in unprotected form, making it child\u2019s play to retrieve it from a discarded or sold-on gadget. It\u2019s also not hard to find out who previously owned it:<\/p>\n