AP is Using Hotspot SSID

WiFi Manager maintains a big list of commonly used SSIDs, primarily the ones used in hotspots, and compares it with ones set in Access points. If any of the Access points use such SSIDs, WiFi Manager triggers an alert.

What is a SSID ?

SSID is an acronym for Service Set Identifier. This is a sequence of characters that uniquely names a wireless LAN and differentiates one WLAN from another. To participate in a wireless LAN all devices must use the same (case sensitive) SSID as that of the wireless LAN.

What are the problems in using the hotspot SSID ?

The SSIDs used in Hotspots are public knowledge and using these SSIDs makes the network vulnerable. Hackers while trying to get into the network typically try all these SSIDs. So, it is not a good idea to use them.

What should the WLAN Administrator do ?

Before plugging-in the devices into the network, the administrators should take care to change all the default values. They should also define good corporate policies/rules for defining the usernames, passwords, SNMP communities, SSID etc. and in that process should ensure that

* They are not using the SSIDs used in popular hotspots
* Make it very difficult for any outsider to guess these values.

Remember this is not a one time activity. They should also use good tools to keep track of these values in different devices and keep changing them periodically.