It's apparently very easy to hack Mar-a-Lago

ProPublica and Gizmodo recently teamed up to determine just how easy it is to hack the WiFi networks at President Trump's properties — and the results were alarming:
We parked a 17-foot motor boat in a lagoon about 800 feet from the back lawn of The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach and pointed a 2-foot wireless antenna that resembled a potato gun toward the club. Within a minute, we spotted three weakly encrypted WiFi networks. We could have hacked them in less than five minutes, but we refrained.A few days later, we drove through the grounds of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with the same antenna and aimed it at the clubhouse. We identified two open WiFi networks that anyone could join without a password. We resisted the temptation. [ProPublica]
Networks at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and the Trump family-run golf club in Sterling, Virginia, proved similarly vulnerable.
ProPublica noted it's "not clear" if Trump actually uses these networks when he travels to his various properties, as he is provided with "portable secure communications equipment." However, Trump has held private discussions at his properties and hosted heads of state, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Experts explained that aside from "digital snooping," attackers could use vulnerable WiFi networks to "take over devices like computers or smartphones and use them to record conversations involving anyone on the premises."
Cybersecurity issues apparently aren't that unusual in the hospitality industry, though of course not every hotel and club is regularly hosting the leader of the free world. A spokeswoman for Trump Organization insisted that it adheres to "cybersecurity best practices."
Read more on Trump properties' cybersecurity — or lack thereof — at ProPublica.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Quiz of The Week: 5 - 11 April
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A botanical trap, a pair of puppies, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Can we really 'de-extinct' prehistoric animals?
Podcast Plus, will womb transplants transform fertility? And why are prices falling in the art market?
By The Week UK Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published