WiFi SSID and Subliminal Advertising at WLAN Book.com

June 6th, 2007

WiFi SSID and Subliminal Advertising

by Zaib Kaleem

Kaspersky Lab recently published a report about WiFi networks in London. The report contains the usual information about transmission speeds, equipment manufacturers, and use of encryption.

One not so usual tidbit was the increased trend in using SSIDs for advertising purposes.

One interesting phenomenon is the tendency to use hotspots for subliminal advertising. Every client attempting to connect to a network will look at the list of accessible networks. Using web addresses as hotspot names can serve as an additional means of attracting new clients to the site. The first networks that we saw using this technique were in Warsaw, where they accounted for roughly 3% of all networks. This approach was found in London as well, and although only 1% of WiFi networks used this tactic, it can still be seen as a certain trend.

Most high end and even some SOHO quality access points have the ability to broadcast multiple SSIDs per access point, sometimes called a virtual access point. A WiFi service provider could easily configure their access points to broadcast a SSID advertisement in addition to the WiFi network SSID.

Checkout what I was able to do with my access point in less than 30 seconds!

SSID Advertising