{"id":146243,"date":"2016-03-02T11:24:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T16:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ntegrait.com\/the-dangers-of-free-wi-fi\/"},"modified":"2016-03-02T11:24:00","modified_gmt":"2016-03-02T16:24:00","slug":"the-dangers-of-free-wi-fi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ntegrait.com\/the-dangers-of-free-wi-fi\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Free Wi-Fi"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FreeFor some people, being without Internet is like being without air. They can have various devices that they use to connect to the Internet, but most will be connected to their home network. So, what do they do when they are out? They connect to a free Wi-Fi hotspot. Most places have them now, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, for example. So they go in, grab a coffee, and log on. But what happens when they log onto a free hotspot? There are many things that can go wrong.<\/p>\n

True Hotspot?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is easy for someone to set up a fake hotspot in a public location. When they do this, all of the unsuspecting individuals are handing their information over freely. They can connect with their laptop, iPad, smartphone or any device that can connect to Wi-Fi. Think for a moment what information you have on each these devices. How would you feel about handing that over to someone else? This information is not only what is contained on the device, but also what you are currently doing on the device, as well. So your online banking information is being captured, along with any other site you use that is password protected.<\/p>\n

I Would Know<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not necessarily. Avast, a security company, set up fake free Wi-Fi at a Barcelona airport. They wanted to see how many people would freely connect to their hotspots with no reservations. They found out quite a few did, more than 2,000. They used the information gathered to illustrate how easy it was to gain access. Here’s what they discovered:<\/p>\n