Microsoft is warning Windows PC users that hackers are hiding on hotel Wi-Fi networks, waiting to steal your login information and sneak malware onto your laptop. The company says the attacks are tied to a Russian hacking group and have been going on since May.
This matters if you’ve ever connected to Wi-Fi at a hotel, airport, or conference, which covers most travelers. The scam is convincing because it runs through the hotel’s real Wi-Fi network, not some obviously fake hotspot you’d think twice about joining. Microsoft says the hackers are mainly going after corporate travelers, but the trick works on any laptop that logs into the network, so leisure travelers aren’t off the hook either.
How the scam works
Microsoft calls the campaign CaptiveCrunch and blames Storm-2945, a group tied to Russia’s Midnight Blizzard hackers. Once you connect to a compromised hotel network, the hackers can quietly serve you fake pop-ups that look like normal sign-in screens or software update alerts.
Click through one of these prompts, and you might be asked to enter a code Microsoft normally uses for legitimate sign-ins. Typing in that code hands the hackers access to your account without them ever needing your password. Microsoft says the same campaign can also plant a program called CornFlake on your Windows PC, which can log your keystrokes, grab your files, take screenshots, and even switch on your camera and microphone without you knowing.
Microsoft also says it’s seeing signs the same hackers are targeting Android phones on these networks, using similar fake prompts to trick people into installing a malicious app. So the risk isn’t limited to laptops sitting in a hotel room.
What you should do before your next trip
Microsoft’s advice is direct: don’t fully trust hotel, airport, or conference Wi-Fi. Use your phone’s hotspot or another private connection when you can, and skip any software updates or sign-in prompts that pop up while you’re on a public network.
Save those updates for when you’re back on a connection you trust. A VPN built for travelers can also help, since it encrypts your traffic so a fake hotel gateway has nothing useful to intercept.
