Among the things that have become more or less an incessant need for all of us today is the Internet. Can you function without it today? Let’s be honest; for we all know the answer. In fact, the real importance of the Internet today can be understood from the fact that so many diverse lives are dependent on it on a daily basis, not just the students, entrepreneurs and seasoned industrialists or traders. Think of the world being some decadent place, out of a cataclysmic piece of fiction in the absence of the World Wide Web. For how else can one describe it if there’s no Internet around? But among the things that have courted some debate and for the longest time is whether you should never use free airport wi-fi?
But come to think of it as a query that involves hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world and not just a small chunk of the internet-frequenting population.
And the fact that you should never use free airport wi-fi has bogged not just IT experts from around the world but been an interesting study in point for various cyber experts.
Finally, now there is a conclusive answer to this theory. But first up, a common fact. Despite several warnings being issued to Internet users everywhere, commuters and frequent travelers won’t discount the habit of using free wi-fi at the airports.
This is when everyone is aware of the peril dangers of being hacked. But recently, an expert in the sphere of internet security and cybersecurity issues- Darren Guccione of CEO of Keeper Security- offered a valuable tip pertaining to the matter as to why you should never use free airport wi-fi.
He mentioned that as a standard rule of thumb, one is often advised about not using free hotspots or wi-fi at the airports. Yet, despite being issued clear warnings, a lot many people are in the rush of getting online; they want to get work done, they want to pass time despite running the risk of having their security breached.
All of that said, here’s the one prime reason that warrants taking a safeguard action. Airports, among all the places, happen to the favorite hunting grounds of hackers and cybercriminals for the simple reason that there are so many easy marks all at one place.
To add to the perils of using free airport wi-fi rather freely, a recent report carried out by Norton Wi-fi Risk tabled some rather telling findings:
It stated that- upon being surveyed in as many as 15 countries- as many as 53 per cent of the population using free airport wi-fi couldn’t even tell a secure network from an unsecured one. What was most worrying, however, was that most internet users didn’t even think twice about connecting themselves to just about any network that would take them online.
One wonders, if such careless and reckless attitudes continue unchecked, then one can’t even imagine what might happen to the sense of security of hundreds and thousands of individuals that are simply shooting themselves in the foot by going online from just about any online source at the airports.
In addition to the above, it is also important to note a finding from the Security Experts Coronet that found out upon surveying 2,50,000 users traveling through America’s 45 busiest airports that a vast majority of public wi-fi systems at the airports put a sizeable risk to the passenger’s devices.
But an interesting point here is that not every airport offers free wi-fi for the comfort and convenience of the users. Some wi-fi networks even charge for the service. But even then, not every hotspot or wi-fi network is touted to be safe. So one wonders if this is true- why you should never use free airport wi-fi- then what might one use at the airports?
Well, the answer is simple; resort to what you do when there’s no wi-fi available at work or at home. Use “Personal hotspot!