WiFi at Obama's hotel in Tallinn has serious security issues

Swissotel, the reputable hotel in central Tallinn where the US President Barack Obama will spend a night during his visit in Estonia on 2 – 3 September, is found to use non-confidential internet network.

The visitors at the hotel, among the most prestigious ones in Tallinn, can access their own computers and other smart devices, using Swissotel’s network.

But Veljo Haamer, an IT professional and one of the original initiators of the wide-spread Estonian wireless internet network, found a simple, but crucial flaw in the hotel’s internet network.

"I happened to spend some time at the Swissotel and noticed that all other devices switched to the hotel’s local area network (LAN) are visible to me," Haamer said to Eesti Päevaleht.

"Most visible devices are probably the ones used by hotel guests, but there could also be servers and CCTV-cameras," Haamer added.

According to Haamer, the Swissotel’s LAN network has been unprofessionally configured and will therefore compromise the privacy of the hotel guests using it.

"Whether it’s President Obama, or someone else – the security of Swissotel guests is undermined," he assessed.

"When you switch your laptop or smart phone into the hotel’s network, it will be visible to everyone using the network – and they will see you. For example, in theory you could see that 'Obama’s iPhone' is also using the network at the same time," Haamer explained.

The privacy issue at the Swissotel does not only affect the devices using its WiFi network, but also the cable connections in hotel’s suites.

For someone with malicious intentions, a visible LAN is like an open door. An experienced hacker could try to gain an access to computers connected to the network, or spy on the data, without the knowledge of its users.

It is especially concerning for those whose devices have been configured with the user’s real name, effectively exposing the fact that they are in a given moment staying at the hotel - a matter of worry for high-profile guests like Barack Obama. For example, all MacBook computers use this kind of configuration.