A fellow MVP emailed me and asked if I was aware of a patch that Microsoft has issued that changes the way Wi-Fi operates. Nope, I didn’t have a clue nor had I seen such a patch.

As the story goes, this update fixes a long-standing security problem in Windows XP SP2. You see, when Windows boots up or comes out of hibernation, it does an auto scan for wireless networks. It first looks through a listing of previously used wireless networks and, when it finds one, it auto connects. I was aware of this feature since I use it all of the time at airports and motels/hotels where I have stayed. So what’s the problem?

The criminal monitors hotspot traffic and dupes other notebook users into connecting to the bad guy’s computer. The bad guy uses his computer as an access point and Windows will auto connect. The bad guy can then capture wireless data including passwords and confidential information.

So here is the Web site with the fix.

Tags: laptop, wi-fi, fix, patch, network, windows, microsoft, access, data, password