Strange reports including dead dogs in the streets and hotel rooms without doorknobs are coming out of Sochi as the city prepares for the Olympic Games. But in case you aren't fully prepared to be cautious, you should know that Internet security is basically nonexistent there.
Richard Engel, NBC's chief foreign correspondent, collaborated with security researcher Kyle Wilhoit to see how quickly hackers could get into devices while in Russia, PCMag.com reported.
The Russian State Department has already said that travelers should expect zero online privacy while in the country, and the team of Engel and Wilhoit definitely proved officials right.
Before heading to Russia, Wilhoit "created a fake online profile for Engel--including bogus contacts, email and Twitter account," according to PCMag. He also learned Engel's browsing habits to create a believable user presence.
The test was to see how quickly the devices, which included a Mac, a Lenovo PC running Windows 7 and an Android smartphone, would be infiltrated by hackers after Wilhoit signed into the fake accounts in Russia.
Engel reported that the smartphone and the PCs were almost immediately hacked when Wilhoit started browsing online using the wi-fi from a local coffee shop. Within 24 hours, all three devices had been compromised
None of the devices had security software installed, putting them at additional risk in any country, Wilhoit noted in a blog post.
In the NBC report, Wilhoit said that people should be sure to install security software and turn off Bluetooth to keep hackers out of their data.
American officials have informed visitors about the risk as well, the United States State Department including this warning in a guide: "Russian Federal law permits the monitoring, retention and analysis of all data that traverses Russian communication networks, including Internet browsing, email messages, telephone calls and fax transmissions."
To see the full hacking adventure, watch the NBC video here or below.
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