Researchers from the University of Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, have
developed proof-of-concept implementations of a scheme that exploits unencrypted
wireless connections to blast PCs with ads.
In a paper on 9 March, the researchers described how the adware—dubbed
Typhoid—convinces laptops to communicate with it as opposed to a legitimate
access point. Next, the adware inserts its advertisements in videos and Web
pages on other computers.