There is a possible data theft in using free Wi-Fi at an airport. Security Software firm Norton by Symantec say that Public Wi-Fi zones can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, owing to bad usage habits. An online survey of around 70 percent of the 20, 900 users globally, reveals, they use public Wi-Fi for checking e-mail, logging into social media accounts or sharing files. Globally, there are estimated 47 million public Wi-Fi hot spots .India has nearly 31,000. Further finds are:
- Out of these public Wi-F I users, 80 percent of business travellers said they used mail and social media accounts.
- Three of every five public Wi-Fi users say entering financial information here can be risky. It is felt that the best ways to thwart such threats could be using one-time passwords), virtual keypads on mobile screens or a virtual private network, usually an encrypted one.
- Ideally, use public Wi-Fi for only activities like reading of news or blogs.
- Around 22 percent of home Wi-Fi users, of the people surveyed, said they had used their neighbours’ without permission.
- More interestingly, some of the victims of cybercrimes or unprotected networks are not concerned about security.
- The survey also says millennials (a term for those born between1982 and 2004) don’t seem to care about online security. They remain the most common victims of cybercrime, with 55 percent having experienced it in the past year.
- Some of the users are still willing to click on unknown links or open malicious attachments.
- One of three users cannot detect a phishing attack, the survey adds.
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