James Delahunty
15 Jun 2010 0:57
A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) official has said both the case of Google's accidental WiFi snooping and the hack which exposed information of over 100,000 iPad users on an AT&T website are "worrisome in their own way." Google recently admitted to accidentally sniffing Internet traffic on unencrypted wireless networks while its Street View cars were snapping pictures in more than 30 countries.
"Whether intentional or not, collecting information sent over WiFi networks clearly infringes on consumer privacy," Joe Gurin, the FCC's chief of consumer and governmental affairs, wrong in a blog post. He went on to remind readers of the risks of using open networks.
Recently AT&T also has admitted that a group called Goatse Security was able to (rather easily) extract the e-mail addresses and cellular ID numbers of more than 114,000 iPad owners by exploiting a web application on the AT&T site. Among the affected users were celebrities and government officials, such as White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
"The iPad incident appears to be a classic security breach – the kind that could happen, and has happened, to many companies – and is exactly the kind of incident that has led the FCC to focus on cyber security," Gurin wrote.
"Our Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is now addressing cyber security as a high priority. The FCC's mission is to ensure that broadband networks are safe and secure, and we're committed to working with all stakeholders to prevent problems like this in the future."