News Consumer-grade spyware found running on hotel guest PCs contains serious security flaw that lets anyone see recent screenshots

[Admin]

Three Wyndham hotels in the US have been found running consumer-grade spyware app "pcTattletale", which has major security flaws allowing the public to view screenshots of sensitive guest information uploaded to the cloud.

Consumer-grade spyware found running on hotel guest PCs contains serious security flaw that lets anyone see recent screenshots : Read more

 

[COLGeek]

It is because of concerns like this that I stopped using hotel (and other free sources) Wi-Fi years ago. I have been tethering a phone for several years. Now with 5G so widespread, speed of service is rarely an issue.

 

[bigdragon]

This news implies these hotels have overzealous management and slow business. Not a good sign. Unsurprising given how hotel standards of quality have been steadily dropping.

 

[ThomasKinsley]

Security and hotel computers do not go together. I recently needed to print some documents on a trip. The hotel lobby computers had a very helpful screen telling me that technicians were able to remotely patch into the machines at any time. After several glitches flashing on the screen I decided to skip the whole thing and with their approval directly connected the printer to a laptop. Shades of Microsoft's Recall indeed.

 

[TJ Hooker]

It is because of concerns like this that I stopped using hotel (and other free sources) Wi-Fi years ago. I have been tethering a phone for several years. Now with 5G so widespread, speed of service is rarely an issue.

I don't see how the issue in this article relates to connecting to public WiFi. Connecting to the hotel WiFi or not would have made no difference here.

 

[bluvg]

Paul Thurrott has a good post on thurrott.com to consider on why Microsoft's Recall is not the privacy concern many media outlets are breathlessly, unsurprisingly, and somewhat mindlessly (not bothering to dig into any details) reporting.

 

[COLGeek]

I don't see how the issue in this article relates to connecting to public WiFi. Connecting to the hotel WiFi or not would have made no difference here.

True, it is an indirect association. The real issue is you don't know what else resides in those environments and who may be "listening". Kind of like swimming in a public pool, with unknown sanitary conditions.

Just not worth the risk.

 

[TJ Hooker]

True, it is an indirect association. The real issue is you don't know what else resides in those environments and who may be "listening". Kind of like swimming in a public pool, with unknown sanitary conditions.

Just not worth the risk.

I mean, you could say the same thing about the internet as a whole. The only risk I see with public WiFi is that the network admin could see all the sites you are visiting (but not see any of the actual traffic content). Is that worse than broadband and/or wireless providers seeing all sites you visit when you connect to your home or 5G network? Guess that's up to the individual to decide.

However, if you're worried about your browsing habits being tracked, I think you're better off just using a VPN (which of course means your VPN provider can see all the sites you visit), in which case choice of network doesn't make much difference.