Wi-fi users at risk of data and identity theft.A new survey commissioned by Steganos, has found that UK wi-fi users are needlessly exposed to the risk of data and identity theft. Although 86% of those wi-fi users surveyed said they knew there was a risk that their data could be intercepted when connecting via a wi-fi hotspot, only 22% use any form of encryption The reversible transformation of data from the original (the plaintext) to a difficult-to-interpret format (the ciphertext) as a mechanism for protecting its confidentiality, integrity and sometimes its authenticity. Encryption uses an encryption algorithm and one or more encryption keys. to protect it. 37% of wi-fi users surveyed said they have used networks belonging to unknown businesses and residents nearby, exposing themselves to the risk that their data could be intercepted by the operators of those hotspots. The survey revealed that although many users are aware of the threats that their PC is exposed to when connected to the internet, they are less aware of the risk that their data is exposed to as it travels through wi-fi hotspots. While 77% of respondents used antivirus software See antivirus program. (tool) antivirus software - Programs to detect and remove computer viruses. The simplest kind scans executable files and boot blocks for a list of known viruses. and 72% used a firewall, only 8% encrypted en·crypt tr.v. en·crypt·ed, en·crypt·ing, en·crypts 1. To put into code or cipher. 2. Computer Science their data and only 14% used a secure, encrypted link to the internet. The vast majority of wi-fi users know they're being reckless: only 14% were unaware that somebody could intercept intercept in mathematical terms the points at which a curve cuts the two axes of a graph. their data while they are connected via Wi-Fi. About half (51%) of those surveyed use wi-fi hotspots several times a week, with 15% using them weekly, 20% using them every couple of weeks and 14% using them monthly. The most popular use of hotspots was to send personal emails (75% of those surveyed), followed by work emails (51%), general research and connecting to the company network (37%). Sensitive data is often sent via wi-fi, as indicated by the 28% of users who said they engage in interact banking and the 23% who shop online via wi-fi. A quarter of those surveyed update their blogs or personal websites from wi-fi hotspots. Aston Fallen, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , Steganos, said: "Identity theft is a growing crime and our survey shows that wi-fi users are putting themselves at risk unnecessarily. Through the personal and work emails and the ecommerce activities that people undertake, they risk revealing personal information that could be used to steal their identities. Using strong encryption An encryption method that uses a very large number as its cryptographic key. The larger the key, the longer it takes to unlawfully break the code. Today, 256 bits is considered strong encryption. As computers become faster, the length of the key must be increased. to protect data in transit is the only approach that is guaranteed to defend wi-fi users. Even if data is intercepted, criminals will not be able to decode (1) To convert coded data back into its original form. Contrast with encode. (2) Same as decrypt. See cryptography. (cryptography) decode - To apply decryption. it and exploit it." www.steganos.com. |
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