Identifying and disabling a rogue access point in a public wireless environment

A method for identifying a wireless security threat on a vehicle in which the vehicle includes a vehicle wireless access point having a BSSID and broadcasting a vehicle SSID for connecting a personal electronic device in wireless communication with the wireless access point, the method comprising:

• periodically detecting SSIDs broadcast on the vehicle;
• comparing detected SSIDs with the vehicle SSID;
• for each detected SSID corresponding to the vehicle SSID, comparing the BSSID of the wireless access point with the BSSID of the detected SSID and if the BSSIDs do not match, determining there is a security threat;
• hosting a web server on the vehicle having a private wide area network address, in which the web server is only accessible via the private wide area network address;
• and
• storing the IP address of each access to the web server in a log.

A system for identifying a potential wireless security threat on a vehicle in which the system is for use with wireless personal electronic devices, the system comprising:

• a display and a broadband controller including a data processor and memory, in which the broadband controller provides a network within the vehicle;
• a vehicle wireless access point in communication with the broadband controller in which the wireless access point broadcasts an SSID for use by a personal electronic device to establish a wireless communication link and transmit and receive data wirelessly over the network via the wireless access point;
• a radio aboard the vehicle, the radio being configured to periodically scan for SSIDs broadcast in the vehicle in which SSIDs detected during scans are communicated to the broadband controller;
• and
• logic executed by the data processor of the broadband controller in which for each detected SSID not corresponding to the vehicle wireless access point SSID, that detected SSID is logged to a file offloaded each trip by the vehicle.

A system for identifying a potential wireless security threat on a vehicle in which the system is for use with wireless personal electronic devices, the system comprising:

• broadband controller including a data processor and memory, in which the broadband controller provides a network within the vehicle;
• a vehicle wireless access point in communication with the broadband controller in which the wireless access point broadcasts an SSID for use by a personal electronic device to establish a wireless communication link and transmit and receive data wirelessly over the network via the wireless access point;
• a radio aboard the vehicle, the radio being configured to periodically scan for SSIDs broadcast in the vehicle in which SSIDs detected during scans are communicated to the broadband controller;
• and
• a web server having a private wide area network address operated by the broadband controller logic, in which the web server is only accessible via the private wide area network address, and the web server logs the source IP address of any access thereto.

A system for identifying a potential wireless security threat on a vehicle in which the system is for use with wireless personal electronic devices, the system comprising:

• a broadband controller including a data processor and memory, in which the broadband controller provides a network within the vehicle;
• a vehicle wireless access point in communication with the broadband controller in which the wireless access point broadcasts an SSID for use by a personal electronic device to establish a wireless communication link and transmit and receive data wirelessly over the network via the wireless access point;
• and
• a radio aboard the vehicle, the radio being configured to periodically scan for SSIDs broadcast in the vehicle in which SSIDs detected during scans are communicated to the broadband controller;
• wherein the vehicle wireless access point includes a plurality of radios and at least one radio of said plurality of radios is configured as a wireless client that attempts to associate with each SSID that does not correspond to an SSID broadcast by the wireless access point and if successful, connect to a web server having a private wide area network address.

A system for identifying a potential wireless security threat on a vehicle in which the system is for use with wireless personal electronic devices, the system comprising:

• a broadband controller including a data processor and memory, in which the broadband controller provides a network within the vehicle;
• a vehicle wireless access point in communication with the broadband controller in which the wireless access point broadcasts an SSID for use by a personal electronic device to establish a wireless communication link and transmit and receive data wirelessly over the network via the wireless access point;
• a radio aboard the vehicle, the radio being configured to periodically scan for SSIDs broadcast in the vehicle in which SSIDs detected during scans are communicated to the broadband controller;
• and
• logic executed by the data processor of the broadband controller in which for each detected SSID not corresponding to the vehicle wireless access point SSID, that detected SSID is reported to the broadband controller;
• wherein the vehicle includes staff onboard having a staff personal electronic device and the system includes a display on which the list of SSIDs which do not correspond to an SSID broadcast by the system is shown;
• and
• staff view the display and using the staff personal electronic device attempt to connect to each SSID displayed and if successful, then to a web server having a private wide area network address.