7 Years Jail for In-Flight Wi-Fi Hacker: The Rising “Evil Twin” Threat

A Western Australian man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison after creating fake Wi-Fi networks on domestic flights and at major airports to steal passengers’ personal data.

Carrying a small portable device in his cabin bag, he set up “Evil Twin” access points—malicious Wi-Fi networks designed to look identical to legitimate airline hotspots. Unsuspecting passengers connected to these networks, allowing him to intercept login details and other sensitive information.

The court revealed that this went far beyond attempted financial fraud. Using stolen credentials, he accessed private accounts and extracted deeply personal data from victims, turning a simple Wi-Fi deception into a serious privacy breach.

For frequent travelers, this serves as a reminder of how risky connecting to public or free Wi-Fi can be, especially when networks can be spoofed within seconds.

Three simple ways to stay safe:

1. Be cautious with unfamiliar networks: If your device doesn’t automatically connect to a known network, pause before joining.

2. Use a VPN: It encrypts your internet traffic, preventing attackers from reading your data—even on a compromised network.

3. Prefer 4G/5G: Your mobile hotspot is far more secure than public airport or in-flight Wi-Fi.

Kudos to the airline staff whose vigilance helped detect the fraudulent network and stop the attacker.