Is Your Wireless Broadband Open To Hijackers?
One in six people leave their wireless router unprotected and one in nine admits to highjacking someone else’s Wi-Fi connection.
With all major providers now providing a wireless router with their packages, wireless broadband is becoming increasingly popular leaving Brits open to 'piggybacking', according to research.
Piggybacking is where broadband users connect to someone else's wireless router to gain access to the internet for free, with the potential to steal bank details, identity information or even downloading illegal content through the owner’s connection.
The research shows over 3.5 million adults (11%) have used someone else’s wireless internet connection without permission in the past 12 months. The results also show people are doing little to protect themselves, with one in six (16%) failing to put a password on their connection.
James Parker, commercial manager for broadband and mobiles at moneysupermarket.com is surprised by the figures.
Beat The Broadband Pirates
Password protect your wireless internet connection with non-dictionary words and numbers
Check that your router uses WPA rather than WEP encryption
Know your download limit and what that translates to (i.e. 5 music albums)
Make sure you have appropriate security software and firewall
If you have children, consider using parental controls as well as password protection for the router
“One in nine people using another person’s Wi-Fi is a staggering amount, you wouldn’t expect that many people to go into a neighbour's house and use their shower. This is a worrying trend and shows some people have no conscience when sitting in front of their monitor behind closed doors,” he says.
"The consequences can be severe. It’s bad enough your neighbours can use your internet connection freely, but this becomes far more threatening if someone uses your connection for criminal or improper activity. This could be accessing your internet connection to download obscene material, gathering personal information to defraud you or even stealing your identity.”
It's not just security risks people face as 37% of broadband deals impose a download cap, which could mean additional charges if the limit is exceeded. Of those who admit to piggybacking nearly half (46%) say they check emails and do some browsing and an unrelenting 12 per cent hijack someone else’s wireless connection everyday, downloading films and music regularly.
"If people aren’t careful, they could unwittingly find a huge bill landing on their doorstep for going over the download cap imposed by their provider. More and more providers offer routers with broadband packages and the range of the signal is increasing. People need to be aware just how important protection is and the best way to do it.”
"People are learning to be safe online but those using wireless can undo all that by leaving their network unprotected. An unsecured internet connection is just the same as leaving your front door open,” Parker adds.
Do you password protect your wireless internet connection? Do you use security software? Have you ever hijacked someone else's connection?
Let us know by leaving a comment in the box below. Alternatively, share your internet and technology tips with other readers in the 50connect forums.
Have your say...
I think this article raises some good points however I disagree with the overall direction. Sure you wouldn't want someone showering in your home, but if you left your door unlocked for a month how many times do you think someone would walk into your house? Firstly the person needs to be within a fairly short distance of your wireless router and have a wireless enabled laptop (which are the norm these days). These people would be in fairly plain view unless they were one of your neighbours, in which case they're even less likely to use the connection for evil purposes. Having just been traveling with a laptop it is a blessing to find open wireless connections to be able to upload photos, write blogs, or send emails to freinds and family without having to dive into savings and use internet cafes. If you have capped/limited download limits by all means secure your connection and prevent piggybacking surfers, but if you're unlimited by all means share the information, 99.9% of the people out there won't use it for anything more then you will. To those that leave your wireless unlocked, thank you!
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