New Delhi: For professionals and tourists alike, connecting to a public Wi-Fi is a boon keeping the high roaming data cost in mind. But connecting to any available free network can easily expose your data to hackers who are waiting for you to log into. Not just abroad, signing frequently into free Internet at hotels, coffee shops, conferences or shopping malls in India is equally dangerous, especially if there is lack of multi-layered security and encryption.
In a recent survey reported by Russia-based software security group Kaspersky Lab, 70 per cent of tablet owners and 53 per cent of smartphone/mobile phone owners stated that they use public Wi-Fi hotspots. “However, because data sent through public Wi-Fi can easily be intercepted, many mobile device and laptop users are risking the security of their personal information, digital identity and money,” said Kaspersky Lab. There have been numerous cases where vulnerabilities in public Wi-Fi networks have been routinely reported.
The Kaspersky Lab report found that three in five (59 per cent) persons in senior roles try to log on as quickly as possible upon arrival abroad because there is an expectation at work that they will stay connected. By the time business travellers reach the arrivals’ terminal, one in six is using their work device to get online. In case data is stolen abroad, a person can report a matter in the relevant country where the data theft has taken place for the purposes of nabbing the hacker and data retrieval