Having a One-Network Stand in a Short-Term Rental? Use Protection!

pcmag.com:

They may or may not come with bedbugs, but even the worst motels offer free Wi-Fi. Likewise, if you stay at an Airbnb or other sharing-economy rental, you expect free (and trouble-free) Wi-Fi. Same thing, right? It turns out that using Wi-Fi in a short-term rental is vastly riskier than in other locations. We're here to explain why and what you can do.

Note that this article was inspired by a presentation at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas more than five years ago, but the concepts are still fresh. The only difference is that the sharing economy is booming even more now. You can view Jeremy Galloway’s original presentation, complete with cameos by Pikachu, Homer Simpson, and Lana Kane—it was a lively talk.

Airbnb reports it has over four million hosts and over six million listings. Its 150 million users worldwide have booked over a billion and a half stays. Vantage Market Research estimates the global short-term rental market at over $100 billion for 2022.

The business overall is vast, but the experience is personal—maybe too personal. In most cases, you’re renting a house where someone else lives. Do you snoop around? Galloway’s presentation quoted a survey saying that 40% of visitors admit to snooping. And the snooping goes both ways: Many guests report finding hidden cameras in the rentals they visit.

It’s a matter of trust. When you stay at a hotel with a national (or international) reputation, you presume they won’t risk that reputation by meddling with your Wi-Fi security. But if Wi-Fi comes from some random short-term rental host, all bets are off, even if the host is a paragon of virtue.

You can be reasonably sure your home Wi-Fi router is secure, especially if you’ve taken steps like customizing the SSID,