Broadband News
Four million admit to wifi hijacking
Friday, 27 November 2009
By Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk
More than four million people have admitted to using someone else’s wifi connection in the last 12 months, according to new research.
Almost half of UK broadband users access the internet over a wireless broadband connection - but a shocking 19% are at risk from hackers because they haven’t secured their wifi network, it was revealed today.
In fact, one in four people questioned in the study did not know that other users could piggyback their broadband without their permission or even their knowledge.
While there are risks to having an unsecured wireless network, the majority of people who admitted to using other people’s broadband simply wanted to browse the net for free. However, this could still slow down your connection and use up a substantial part of your monthly download allowance, researchers warned.
Michael Phillips, Broadbandchoices.co.uk product director, advised worried consumers to make sure that their broadband was adequately secured. “If your computer is compatible, make sure that you're using the latest encryption method - WPA,” he said. “You can use our Wireless Key Generator to create unique passwords that will be hard to crack.”
Visit our internet security guide for more information on staying safe online.
Source: MoneySupermarket.com
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