The researchers warned that UK consumers are putting their security at risk by signing up for free and unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.
A BullGuard report found that nearly four-fifths (79%) of public Wi-Fi users are at significant risk when choosing a wireless access point to connect to, often without verifying that the network they are connecting to is legitimate.
Globally, 86% of daily public Wi-Fi users favor security when choosing wireless access points, and nearly two-thirds (63%) of people who connect to the public Wi-Fi network daily see your devices. configured to automatically connect to the most powerful network. Wi-Fi signal "or" to automatically connect to previously used Wi-Fi access points. "
risky
BullGuard's survey of 2,000 Britons revealed that instead of taking the time to verify that an access point is legitimate, users often choose a Wi-Fi-based solution, a name that seems appropriate, or a free option.
However, hackers often seek to attack victims by creating real sound networks to try to trick people into choosing a malicious access point with the intention of stealing personal data.
Additionally, many respondents accessed Wi-Fi access points using highly confidential data. More than a third of daily public Wi-Fi users connect to personal accounts that require a password, 22% use credit cards, and 31% connect to online banking with potentially risky connections.
"Brits prefer convenience to security when using public Wi-Fi. The results show that respondents do not feel safe online, but ignore their fears and use hotspots without checking to see if they are safe," said Paul Lipman, CEO of BullGuard.
"Hackers can easily configure malicious access points that appear legitimate, while also being able to intercept and store people's personal data, allowing them to steal usernames, passwords and information, credit card information, bank account information , etc. ".
Using a VPN would help protect many of these users by protecting their browsing habits, but the survey found that 60% of users did not use VPN, with 57% of respondents saying they thought it was too complicated or do not. Know how to use one.