There has been an overwhelming interest in public Wi-Fi due to the increasing number of mobile users and a growing perception that Wi-Fi provides better connection experience at lower costs. Moreover, end users increasingly expect Wi-Fi to be free, thereby motivating a strong transition in leading markets to provide free-to-the-end-user Wi-Fi. Providing free internet to the users is a challenge as potential solutions must be self-sustainable and provide sufficient financial returns. Framework for Advertisement-based Community Wi-Fi access, called FRAC is a self-sustainable advertisement-based community network sharing framework which has the competence to provide significant financial returns. FRAC provides free internet access to its users by motivating Wi-Fi access point (AP) owners to share their internet service for benefits. FRAC builds on privately or commercially-owned, existing Wi-Fi infrastructure. The users accessing the internet using this framework provide a strong customer base for online marketing and advertising which provides the revenue to sustain this framework. This thesis describes the design and implementation of a prototype of the FRAC system. The design of key features of the framework such as user authentication, advertisement delivery, quality of service, messaging and security, are described, based on which an overall design of the framework is provided. The prototype developed includes a browser extension to support browser-based devices like laptops, netbooks and embeddable software that can be installed on wireless routers with Linux-based dd-wrt firmware. / Master of Science

When public Wi-Fi networks are being used, it can be hard to know who else that is using the same network or is monitoring the traffic that is traveling across the network. If the network is public and unencrypted anyone can monitor the traffic and to use these networks for work can be very risky. This is a big problem that needs a solution because the information that travels across the public network might have organizational secrets or sensitive personal information that shouldn’t be read by outsiders. One way to significantly increase the security while using these public networks is by configuring and setting up a VPN-tunnel, all traffic will then be sent encrypted. But nowadays many computers and mobile phones runs applications in the background that are actively asking for updates. It can for example be news apps, mail clients or instant messaging services like WhatsApp or Telegram. Since the apps is pushing for updates in the background there is a big risk that these programs are asking for updates and therefore transmit and receives information unencrypted over the public network before they have been able to set up their VPN-tunnel. People might be unaware about this problem and this research can be used to explain the problem and offer a solution to it and that is the reason why this research is important. This research tries to solve the problem and find answers to the research questions, “How to design and implement an affordable intermediate device that offers the user secure access to Internet on public Wi-Fi networks?" and “What are the design principles of that method?”. The proposed solution to solve this problem was to design and implement a new intermediate device, which was called EzMole, in between the public Wi-Fi and the users’ personal devices. The new device will operate and secure the users’ devices from potential malicious users on the public Wi-Fi while the VPN-tunnel is being established. It will also create a new encrypted wireless network that will be used to connect the personal devices to EzMole, for example mobile phone or laptop. The methodology that was used to design and develop the new EzMole-device was the Design Science Research Methodology. It includes six steps that was used during three phases of the project that worked in an iterative process with development, testing and evaluation until the device met the initial requirements of a successful device. There were tests for both functionality and security to make sure that it worked in the right way and that it didn’t have any known security weaknesses or flaws. This was very important since EzMole will be and represent an Internet-of-Things(IoT)-device and therefore the security had a big focus. After the tests, it was time to evaluate it against the initial requirements and the new device lived up to 9/12 requirements and was therefore classified as successful. The research contributes with a universal solution for the research problem and it gives answers to the research questions and in the meantime, reduces the gap in the literature. It also contributes with providing a new piece of hardware that will can help people to connect to the Internet in a more secure way when they are using public Wi-Fi networks.

Users and providers benefit considerably from public Wi-Fi hotspots. Users receive wireless Internet access and providers draw new prospective customers. While users are able to enjoy the ease of Wi-Fi Internet hotspot networks in public more conveniently, they are more susceptible to a particular type of fraud and identify theft, referred to as evil twin attack (ETA). Through setting up an ETA, an attacker can intercept sensitive data such as passwords or credit card information by snooping into the communication links. Since the objective of free open (unencrypted) public Wi-Fi hotspots is to provide ease of accessibility and to entice customers, no security mechanisms are in place. The public’s lack of awareness of the security threat posed by free open public Wi-Fi hotspots makes this problem even more heinous. Client-side systems to help wireless users detect and protect themselves from evil twin attacks in public Wi-Fi hotspots are in great need. In this dissertation report, the author explored the problem of the need for client-side detection systems that will allow wireless users to help protect their data from evil twin attacks while using free open public Wi-Fi. The client-side evil twin attack detection system constructed as part of this dissertation linked the gap between the need for wireless security in free open public Wi-Fi hotspots and limitations in existing client-side evil twin attack detection solutions. Based on design science research (DSR) literature, Hevner’s seven guidelines of DSR, Peffer’s design science research methodology (DSRM), Gregor’s IS design theory, and Hossen & Wenyuan’s (2014) study evaluation methodology, the author developed design principles, procedures and specifications to guide the construction, implementation, and evaluation of a prototype client-side evil twin attack detection artifact. The client-side evil twin attack detection system was evaluated in a hotel public Wi-Fi environment. The goal of this research was to develop a more effective, efficient, and practical client-side detection system for wireless users to independently detect and protect themselves from mobile evil twin attacks while using free open public Wi-Fi hotspots. The experimental results showed that client-side evil twin attack detection system can effectively detect and protect users from mobile evil twin AP attacks in public Wi-Fi hotspots in various real-world scenarios despite time delay caused by many factors.

With the development of Wi-Fi networks, Wi-Fi connection become a very important part of people‟s life, it seems that Wi-Fi networks are everywhere, especially in China. However, Wi-Fi networks not only bring convenience to users, but also bring some security threats. Nowadays, Wi-Fi security problems become increasingly acute. This thesis investigates the differences between male and female users regarding Wi-Fi network security. By distributing a questionnaire in China, specific questions have been asked about key factors within the area of Wi-Fi security. The questions focus on the usage situation, information security awareness and the knowledge level in Wi-Fi related fields. The found result is: Wi-Fi security issues are more prominent for female users than for male users.

The usage of public Wi-Fi and hotspots has witnessed a substantial increase in recent times, providing convenient connectivity in various public areas. Public wireless networks are now widely accessible, especially in smart cities. However, utilising public Wi-Fi exposes individuals to potential threats to their privacy and security. Hackers can exploit vulnerabilities present in public Wi-Fi networks, such as the "Evil Twin" attack, to deceive users and unlawfully obtain their personal information. The main objective of the research was to investigate people's awareness of the security risks associated with public Wi-Fi usage and to identify the factors that contribute to their willingness to take such risks. The research adopted a qualitative approach, utilising semi-structured interviews with 14 participants to gain valuable insights into their understanding and knowledge of the risks connected with public Wi-Fi. The majority of respondents employed public Wi-Fi for educational purposes, browsing the Internet, and engaging with social media platforms. Additionally, the findings of the study explored the motivations and influences that lead individuals to take risks when using public Wi-Fi. Factors such as convenience, cost-effectiveness, saving mobile data usage, limited mobile network coverage, and a lack of awareness concerning privacy and security risks emerged as the most significant reasons and influences behind the utilisation of public Wi-Fi.