You've Been Ripped

If you've been following the WiFi world at all over the last few years, you probably already know the risks of accessing an open WiFi node. While most security types seem to hype up the risks of outsiders accessing corporate files stored on your network - the much bigger risk is someone with a packet sniffer sitting on your access point keeping track of all the data you transmit or receive. One reporter discovered this last week at CeBIT by setting up his laptop to record everything he could capture - and he certainly picked up some gems. He found out about some affairs that people were conducting, some credit card numbers, and a ton of porn. What amazes me is how few people not in this space realize these risks. I'm still waiting for more easy-to-use firewalls to pop up (like HotSpotVPN - which is still too expensive), but they don't see to be a priority these days.
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Filed Under: wifi, wi-fi


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