Olabisi Olaleye with Agency Report

Most of the time, people try to surf the Internet via Wi-Fi at any public place in the hope of saving their subscriptions but end up being the victims of hackers who ‘net’ their information into a data base within the twinkle of an eye.

Security experts in the United States have disclosed that features that make free Wi-Fi hotspots desirable for consumers also make them desirable for hackers.

“It requires no authentication to establish a network connection. This creates an amazing opportunity for the hacker to get unfettered access to unsecured devices on the same network.

“The biggest threat to free Wi-Fi is the ability of the hacker to position himself between his victim and the connection point. Instead of talking directly with the hotspot, the user is sending your information to the hacker, who then relays it on,” said an informed source.

Meanwhile, senior ethical hacker consultant, Mr. Simeon Warren, has disclosed that hacking could be done in any algebra as long as the mission is fulfilled.

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“Even with a locked Wi-Fi, it could be hacked and that is why it is not always good to ask any site or mail setting to remember user’s password as it makes it very vulnerable to millions of hackers to gain access to your data base and use your banking details and other relevant information without the user being aware.”

A hacker is any skilled computer expert that uses his technical knowledge to overcome a problem. While “hacker” can refer to any skilled computer programmer, the term has become associated in popular culture with a “security hacker,” someone who, with technical knowledge, uses bugs or exploits to break into computers.

Using a public Wi-Fi allows the hacker to gain access to every activity and information that is going out on a particular network: important emails, credit card information and even security credentials to your business network. Once the hacker has that information, he can, at his leisure, access his victims’ systems as if he were the owner.

Security company, Kaspersky, has also maintained that hackers can also use an unsecured Wi-Fi connection to distribute malware.

“If you allow file-sharing across a network, the hacker can easily plant infected software on your computer. Some ingenious hackers have even managed to hack the connection point itself, causing a pop-up window to appear during the connection process offering an upgrade to a piece of popular software. Clicking the window installs the malware.

“As mobile Wi-Fi becomes increasingly common, you can expect Internet security issues and public Wi-Fi risks to grow over time. But this doesn’t mean you have to stay away from free Wi-Fi and tether yourself to a desk again. The vast majority of hackers are simply going after easy targets, and taking a few precautions should keep your information safe,” the experts said, adding that a virtual private network (VPN) connection is a must when connecting to your business through an unsecured connection, like a Wi-Fi hotspot.

“Even if a hacker manages to position himself in the middle of your connection, the data here will be strongly encrypted. Since most hackers are after an easy target, they will likely discard stolen information rather than put it through a lengthy decryption process.”