Unencrypted “free” WiFi (or WLAN)

A widely practiced commercial incentive to attract customers that exploits the perceived need of many people who feel the need to be permanently connected. he Internet has also created an illusion that information and access to it should be “free” – why pay if you don’t have to, right?

 

 

Why is this an issue?

WiFi (also known as a Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN) is great and convenient. When it is free, it is also unencrypted which means that others connected to the same network could (with a little bit of skill and the right tools) capture all your data traic, including your e-mail address, login and password and whatever else you may be doing online. he same is true for having Bluetooth enabled in your devices.

 

What to do about it

If you are simply surfing the World Wide Web for non-sensitive and non-critical tasks, for example reading newspapers online, looking at the weather forecast, etc., it’s basically OK.

 

For anything more sensitive – checking your bank balance, your credit card activity, buying something online or even using your e-mail, think twice before using an unencrypted network. he charges for using a secured network are mostly reasonable. From the several encryption protocols available for such wireless networks, WPA2 is regarded as the strongest he basic WEP encryption can be broken in minutes.