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Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

Windows 10 Shares Your Wi-Fi With Contacts

Summary: Microsoft's Windows 10, offered as a free upgrade to most Windows 7 and Windows 8 users starting July 29, 2015, includes a Wi-Fi Sense feature that prompts users to share access to Wi-Fi networks with their Outlook, Skype, and opt-in Facebook contacts. The shared credential is an encrypted password stored on a Microsoft server and sent to contacts' devices, and Microsoft's opt-out requires users to add "_optout" to their network's SSID.

What you should know: Anyone in a user's Outlook, Skype, or Facebook contact list can join that network when in range, and the access is granted to all contacts on a network at once rather than to individuals the user selects. Networks using centralized 802.1x authentication are not affected, which leaves smaller networks and home offices relying on an SSID rename as their only control.

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Topics
Data Breaches
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