UK vendor SpriteGuard plots to 'stifle evil twin'

SpriteGuard looks to tackle illegitimate internet access points with new security product

Liverpool-based vendor SpriteGuard has launched a WiFi security product which it claims will stifle fraudulent "evil twin" access points.

An evil twin is a fake or fraudulent access point that appears to be legitimate but has been set up to mimmick genuine access points and fool people into connecting to it - often to steal information.

Evil twins are prevalent in areas with numerous public hotspots, for example hotels and restaurants.

SpriteGuard commercial director Julian Watts told CRN that limited existing solutions in the market often combat evil twins by shutting them down, which is illegal.

"Existing WiFi systems - the Merakis, the Ciscos, the Arubas - cannot detect these fake hotspots," he said.

"We have a device that sits outside [the network] - we put our software into a TP-Link scanner - and it scans all the airwaves for hotspots that have been set up and we can see who is connected to those hotspots.

"If someone sets up an open access WiFi spot with a similar name [to the real access point] we don't stop the hotspot being there, because that's illegal, but we silently stop [the device's user] accidentally connecting to it and then we report that back."

The motivation to block users connecting to hotspots is not necessarily to prevent fraudulent activity. Hotels, for example, may want to stop guests setting up and connecting to their own access points so that they have to pay for the hotel's own service instead.

One high-profile example saw hotel chain Marriott fined $600,000 (£444,000) in 2014 for shutting down guests' hotspots and therefore driving them to its own paid-for service.

However, the system Marriott employed worked by blocking the access points, which is illegal, rather than stopping devices connecting to them.

SpriteGuard has already seen success in hotel chains, Watts added.

The vendor received its first round of funding last year, with a £350,000 investment from a fund managed by Enterprise Ventures, and is currently in the process of finalising its second round.

Watts said that SpriteGuard is still in the early stages of setting up its channel, but will take a partner-led approach and look to sign a distributor soon.

He added that any partners already selling wireless solutions from the likes of Aruba and Ruckus should be looking at their product.