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From: Andrew <andrew@spam.net>
Newsgroups: comp.mobile.android,alt.internet.wireless
Subject: Re: WiFi hotspot setup
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 2024 19:45:07 -0000 (UTC)
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bad💽sector wrote on Sat, 8 Jun 2024 21:49:14 -0400 :

>> If it's for equipment that you control, the password syntax should not be
>> determined by someone else.
> 
> It's for the WiFi network set up using my phone as hotspot. A default 
> so-many-characters long SSID appears which I edit down to a single 
> character but the dialog will not accept any password or no password. I 
> think I could get a no-security mode going without a password at all 
> though, haven't tried that yet.

Most people likely hate me on this newsgroup (because most people are
morons who hate that I debunk all their myths - IMHO); but I strive to help
people who ask questions by testing out those questions on my phone.

So I tested it... using my Galaxy A32-5G T-Mobile, USA, Android 13.
1. Settings > Connections > Mobile hotspot and tethering > Mobile Hotspot
2. Turning that on said the following warming:
   Mobile Hotspot may not be available
   You're connected to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network using Wi-Fi sharing. 
   Some devices don't support 5GHz networks. If you have any trouble
   connecting to your Mobile Hotspot from another device, try turning
   off Wi-Fi sharing. [OK]
3. Longpressing on the now-turned-on "Mobile Hotspot" on/off setting brings 
   up an Android activity asking for the Network name, Password, Band, 
   and then an option to configure "Auto Hotspot" and a listing of 
   "Connected Devices" along with a QR code and Help-link icon.

The Password is set to "None" as it was previously configured when my WISP 
Internet had gone out so I know it accepts no password by pressing
"Configure", which brings up a form with a few items on it as expected.
 Network name = myphone_nomap
 Band = 2.4GHz
 Security = Open
 Maximum connections = 5
 Set mobile data limit = unset
 Turn off when no device connected for = 10 minutes
 Broadcast network name (SSID) = off
 Protected Management Frames = on
 Wi-Fi sharing = on

But again, while people hate me for giving them facts, I do try very much
to help people (even those who hate me), so I will try to set the password.

The choices for security are:
 None
 WPA2-Personal
 WPA2/WPA3-Personal
 WPA3-Personal

I set it to WPA2-Personal and entered 1 as the password, but as you noted, 
it said in red "Enter password of at least 8 characters" which I then set
to 12345678 and it took that.

>> BTW, I hope you're appending "_nomap" to the SSID (for reasons of privacy).
>> And, I hope you're considering not broadcasting the SSID (again, not for
>> security, but for reasons of privacy). Having suggested those two changes,
>> I'm well aware that 999 out of 1,000 people won't understand in the least
>> why I suggested those two privacy focused SSID changes; I hope you do.
> 
> For now and for many months to come I am and will remain at greenhorn 
> level as far as smart-phones go. 

If you're a greenhorn, then you will not be able to set up your phone (or
anything, for that matter, not even a router) for privacy. It takes time.

> I have absolutely no time for it all 
> summer long and on the other hand I want to get to a high degree of 
> control which is likely to take two years at least.

The best way to get a high degree of control over a cellphone is to root
it, but I suspect one out of 10,000 people roots their Android phones.

> I do lots of factory 
> resets and am learning to re-tweak the setup in as irreverent a manner 
> as I can and mostly by junking 90% of what got installed without being 
> asked if I want it.

My advice is for you to do one very important thing for privacy, which is
to press the "SKIP" button when the phone asks you to set up a Google
Account on that phone. 

This advice is for privacy.

> What does adding _nomap to the SSID accomplish? 

Do you read the news? There must be thousands of articles about this over
the years, and even scores of them due to recent issues with how Apple is
throwing the privacy of all Android users under the bus due to it.

Whatg's App's solution?
 heh heh heh ... add "_nomap" to the end of your SSID.
 <https://www.macworld.com/article/2343297/apple-wi-fi-network-wps-vulnerability-location-services-leak.html>

> Does that depend on any mutation of trust?

I don't even know what that question is asking, but here's more about how
Apple recently threw everyone under the bus who didn't add the "_nomap".

 [https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/23/apple_wifi_positioning_system/]
 "The threat applies even to users that do not own devices for which the
 WPSes are designed - individuals who own no Apple products, for instance,
 can have their AP in Apple's WPS merely by having Apple devices come
within
 Wi-Fi transmission range."

 <https://www.cs.umd.edu/~dml/papers/wifi-surveillance-sp24.pdf>
 In this work, we show that Apples WPS implementation can easily 
 be abused to create a serious privacy threat on a global scale. 

 [https://9to5mac.com/2024/05/24/apple-location-services-vulnerability/]
 "There is one crucial difference between the way in which
  Apple and Google devices carry out this task
  and that's exactly where the privacy issue arises."

[https://www.macworld.com/article/2343297/apple-wi-fi-network-wps-vulnerability-location-services-leak.html]
  "Researchers have discovered a crucial vulnerability in the way 
   only Apple's location services work"

[https://www.govinfosecurity.com/surveillance-risk-apples-wifi-based-positioning-system-a-25330]
 "The attack risk stems from Apple's WiFi-based Positioning System, or WPS"

 [https://9to5mac.com/2024/05/24/apple-location-services-vulnerability/]
 "We need to understand Apple devices figure out locations differently"

[https://securityboulevard.com/2024/05/apple-wi-fi-location-privacy-richixbw/]
 "An unrestricted Apple API endpoint allows for easy tracking."


[https://cybernews.com/privacy/apple-beams-wifi-location-data-privacy-risk/]
 "Anyone can exploit Apple's flawed WiFi-based positioning system (WPS)*

 [https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14975]
  "In this work, we show that Apple's flawed WPS can too easily be abused"


<https://cyberinsider.com/apples-wi-fi-based-positioning-system-is-a-privacy-nightmare/>
 ""
<https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/apple-may-have-turned-wi-fi-routers-into-a-privacy-threat-239637a>
 "Researchers from the University of Maryland have uncovered a
  significant privacy vulnerability in Apple's Wi-Fi-based 
  Positioning System (WPS). This vulnerability enables attackers
  to track devices globally by exploiting the way Apple's WPS 
  operates, raising serious privacy concerns."

<https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/apple-may-have-turned-wi-fi-routers-into-a-privacy-threat-239637a>
 "Researchers from the University of Maryland have uncovered a
  significant privacy vulnerability in Apple's Wi-Fi-based 
  Positioning System (WPS). This vulnerability enables attackers
  to track devices globally by exploiting the way Apple's WPS 
  operates, raising serious privacy concerns."

<https://cyberinsider.com/apples-wi-fi-based-positioning-system-is-a-privacy-nightmare/>
  *Apple's Wi-Fi-Based Positioning System is a Privacy Nightmare*
  "Researchers from the University of Maryland have uncovered a 
   significant privacy vulnerability in Apple's Wi-Fi-based Positioning 
   System (WPS). This vulnerability enables attackers to track devices 
   globally by exploiting the way Apple's WPS operates, raising 
   serious privacy concerns."

In summary, people hate me because I tell them things they don't want to
understand, where I hope you at least appreciate I'm trying to help you.