Using Wi-Fi technology to surf the Internet has become the standard these days but many people are still not protecting their connections and that leaves them open to cyber crime.
RCMP say two incidents have recently surfaced in the Calgary area where home owners with a Wi-Fi router noticed an unauthorized computer connection identifying itself as "RCMP Surveillance".
In one of the incidents the home owner saw a car in an open area near his residence around the time that he logged on to his computer. He then noticed that a Wi-Fi connection had been made to his internet that identified itself as "RCMP Surveillance".
The home owners called RCMP and were told that the computer which made the Wi-Fi connections was not an RCMP computer.
The RCMP says that they do not use Wi-Fi for security reasons.
They say that if anyone detects another computer accessing their Wi-Fi they should shut down their router immediately as the other computer may be trying to access the internet for malicious or illegal purposes.
Police say this could include areas like child pornography, internet scams and computer hijacking.
RCMP is reminding WIFI Internet users that it is vitally important to understand that anyone within the surrounding area could access the Wi-Fi router unless the security settings have been completely enabled.
This includes:
- Setting passwords
- Limiting computer access to specific authorized computers
- Restricting the broadcast of the Wi-Fi name so only authorized users are able to sign in
Police say anyone who feels their computer systems may have been compromised by an unauthorized user should check with their internet service provider and contact local police if they detect illegal activity.
