Hotel WiFi unsecured computer-computer networks

[j/k/Andy]

As I sit in my hotel room, are these WiFi unsecured computer-computer networks that show up just trying to intercept my internet communications and all the valuable data I'm sending?

My hotel has I assume legitimate networks, but these guys are trying to scam me with networks named: Free Public WiFi and Free Internet Access?

 

[r.j.s]

Short answer, yes. They hope that someone connects to them, and when they are trying to figure out why Teh Internets™ aren't working they are stealing files off the computer.

 

[aristobrat]

Actually has a more interesting story.

http://erratasec.blogspot.com/2007/01/ad-hoc-wifi-virus.html

 

[JNB]

I spend about 120-150 days a year in hotels, and the hotel-provided network is always pretty obvious (and reliably safe, if depressingly slow), Ibahn is one of the more common ones. Any peer-to-peer network, though, should be avoided like the plague.