Wi-Fi connectivity is more abundant than ever before. With the popularity of hotspots in cafes, bars, airports, in fact just about everywhere, it has never been easier to get on line. So much so, that is somewhere doesn't offer a free hotspot – you feel like you should complain. How stingy.
The train is not due for 30 minutes. So, just time for quick coffee and just time to pay a bill, check how your eBay action is going and log in to your web mail to see if that parcel you ordered has been dispatched. Right?
Wrong!!!
Public Wi-Fi spots are not just popular with legitimate users, they are also popular with criminals, with HACKERS.
Picture this…
- You are in Zippy Coffee Shop waiting for you train
- A quick browse for Wi-Fi and you find the Zippy open connection.
- A couple of clicks and you're connected, on-line and up and running
So, here’s the problem…
- You know nothing about that connection, does it even belong to the coffee shop.
- In this case it is the wireless signal of a hacker enjoying his Americano, 2 tables away.
- You have just connected to his laptop and are browsing through his shared connection.
- Everything you type he’s intercepting
- Your on-line bank login
- Your eBay user ID
- Your web-mail details
- Now, as you leave Zippy Coffee Shop none the wiser the hacker has everything he needs to rip you off
This is call a Man in The Middle attack (MITM)
So do you need to avoid Public Wi-Fi all together?
No … Although you should never do more than browse. Wait until you have a secure connection before visiting those sites that require you to log in, such as banks, eBay etc.
If you need to connect to work, go via a VPN services. VPN stands for virtual private network, and there are many services out there that you can use with apps for smartphones and computers. Ask your IT administrator, if your organisation offers this type of secure connection.
Will Hogarth
CTO @ VGS Global
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