By Rebecca Peppiatt
A Palmyra man who on Friday pleaded guilty to creating fake WiFi access points did so to access intimate photos and videos of women, it has been revealed.
Michael Clapsis, 43, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to 15 cyber-crime offences.
Michael Clapsis admitted creating a fake Wi-Fi.
Details of what information Clapsis was accessing was revealed on Friday afternoon as the AFP also said the Palmyra dad accessed private emails between his employer and police after his arrest.
Clapsis was arrested after an airline employee reported concerns about a suspicious WiFi network during a domestic flight in April last year.
They searched Clapsis’ luggage and seized a portable wireless access device, a laptop and a mobile phone from his hand luggage. They also searched his Palmyra home.
Forensic analysis of data and the seized devices identified thousands of intimate images and videos, and personal credentials belonging to other people, as well as records of fraudulent WiFi pages.
The day after the search warrant he deleted 1752 items from his account on a data storage application and tried unsuccessfully to remotely wipe his mobile phone.
Between 22 and 23 April 2024, Clapsis also used a computer software tool to unlawfully gain access to his employer’s laptop to access confidential online meetings between his employer and the AFP regarding the investigation.
He was arrested a month later after the AFP identified that he used a portable wireless access device to create ‘evil twin’ free WiFi networks that he used at multiple locations – including on flights – to lure unsuspecting users into believing they were legitimate services.
When people tried to connect their devices to the networks, they were directed to a fake webpage requiring them to sign in using their email or social media logins. Those details were then saved to the man’s cloud storage account accessed via his computer and mobile phone devices.
AFP cybercrime investigators identified data relating to the use of the fraudulent free WiFi pages at airports in Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide and on domestic flights, as well as restricted and personal data the man had accessed from his previous employment.
Clapsis also unlawfully accessed social media and other online accounts linked to multiple unsuspecting women to monitor their communications and steal private and intimate images and videos.
AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Chwal said the AFP remained committed to identifying cybercriminals who used sophisticated technology to prey on unsuspecting victims.
“Cybercrime is a growing global threat, and our investigators are relentless in tracking down criminals who attempt to exploit digital anonymity to attack our community,” he said.
“The AFP’s message to the community is: to please be vigilant when connecting to any kind of free WiFi network, especially at public places such as airports.
“A network that requests your personal details – such as an email or social media account – should be avoided.
“If you do want to use public WiFi, ensure your devices are equipped with a reputable virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt and secure your data. Disable file sharing, don’t use things like online banking while connected to public WiFi and, once you disconnect, change your device settings to ‘forget network’.
“People should also switch off the WiFi on their devices to prevent them being automatically connecting to a hotspot in public spaces.”
On Friday, the court was told Clapsis had reached a plea deal with Commonwealth prosecutors which allowed 31 charges against him to be dropped in return for a plea of guilty to 15 others.
Those charges include failing to comply with an order, destroying evidence, stealing, possessing or controlling data intending that the data be used to commit or facilitate the commission of an offence, knowingly caused the unauthorised impairment of electronic communications and causes/intends to cause unauthorised access or modification of restricted data.
He will be back before the court in August, where a sentencing date will be set down.
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