Wi-Fi hotspots vulnerable to hacking says BBC's Watchdog

Thousands of hotspots provided by Britain's top three Wi-Fi networks – BT Openzone, The Cloud and T-Mobile – are vulnerable to attacks by cybercriminals, according to a BBC Watchdog episode broadcast last night.

The programme claimed that it used hacking equipment easily available to the public to hijack wireless traffic at several hotspots on trains and in airport lounges, hotels and high-street outlets.

Hackers could use this access to gather sensitive personal information, such as bank account details.

In the programme, Rav Wilding, Crimewatch presenter and a former policeman, created an email account on his laptop at a hotspot.

Within seconds, members of the Watchdog team could access Wilding's email using an unspecified form of attack.

Since being alerted to the vulnerabilities, all three wireless providers are taking measures to tighten security.

BT Openzone told Crimewatch that it was reviewing their "proactive approach to providing secure and user-friendly authentication".

T-Mobile has emphasised the security benefits of using VPNs Virtual Private Networks on its homepage, while The Cloud says it is working on how to develop VPN technology.