Is My In-Laws’ Wi-Fi Being Hijacked by Neighbors? A Cybersecurity Dilemma

I recently encountered a perplexing situation that, as someone with a degree in Computer Science and a background in Cyber Security, has left me both intrigued and concerned. While searching for similar cases online turned out to be a challenge, I felt compelled to share my experience in the hopes of gaining insights and advice from the community.

The Setup: An Unexpected Discovery

Currently residing with my spouse’s parents in the UK, I noticed that they are using Virgin Media as their Internet Service Provider. Their current setup includes a Hub 3 router, which is a basic model that has been struggling to manage the growing number of devices connected in the house. With this in mind, I decided to upgrade their internet experience by purchasing a high-end router, intending to put the Hub 3 into modem mode.

However, things took a strange turn when I discovered that my phone was still connecting to the Virgin router, even though it was powered off. Curious to understand the situation better, I employed a Wi-Fi analyzer app that revealed the presence of a much stronger signal in the back of the house, particularly in the bedroom.

The Mystery Access Point

This intriguing signal didn’t belong to my in-laws’ setup; instead, it was emanating from a neighbor’s TalkTalk router. My in-laws insist that there is no other router within their home, nor has any secondary access point ever been present. Given that the bedroom had been recently redecorated and is generally clutter-free, it seems impossible for another device to be hidden away.

Digging deeper, I also conducted a WHOIS lookup on my public IP address while connected to the network, confirming that it indeed pointed to a TalkTalk service—not Virgin.

Theories on What’s Going On

Given the circumstances, I have formulated several theories regarding this strange case of Wi-Fi access:

Innocent Scenario

1. Inadvertent Disclosure: At some point, a previous tenant or neighbor may have encountered my in-laws’ Wi-Fi credentials—possibly through specific inquiries, packet analysis, or even just by happenstance, like spotting the sticker on the router.

2. Piggybacking Begins: Following this, the neighbor started using the Wi-Fi and perhaps shared the credentials with other residents in their rented house without realizing the implications of their actions.

3. **Credentials Continue Cir