Computer Security Risks when using Public Wi-Fi

Computer security is a serious concern for businesses. Travel is now a part of modern day working lives; more people are now roaming with their laptop or tablets and utilising hotspots or guest wireless networks to access emails or social network sites. Companies and employees need to become more aware of the dangers associated with going online using public networks.

Information Hacking

When a user connects to a public wireless network, unless the data is encrypted by sites you go to, someone with access to the same network can “tune in” and view what you are viewing on the web, monitor incoming or outgoing email and capture the “cookies” that are used to keep you logged into particular website. So if someone uses their laptop or tablet in a hotspot or guest network such as coffee shop or airport lounge, there could be someone there who is capturing their cookies and stealing their data.

Sites are responding to this threat by adding encryption like HTTPS protocol instead of HTTP. HTTPS is mostly only used on the login pages so that usernames and passwords are protected. However, to authenticate you after you log in the sites set cookies, the attacker can capture your cookies when you visit an unencrypted, non-login page and break into your account. This is what is known as “session hijacking”

Evolution of Information Hacking

Whilst sites such as Facebook, have taken steps to tighten security settings (account holder must opt in to activate it).The new phenomenon hitting the cyber world is “Widget jacking.”

When you visit a site, and you see a “Like” button this is what is known as a widget. Usual widgets found on sites are for social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others. The social media sites do not enforce the same level of security over the code used to embed the “Like” widget on a site as they do when you log in directly. These widgets are not secured with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol, which provides security for data sent to and from a web site. The result is that the user who clicks on the widgets and logs into the social media site can be attacked by someone using the same network.

Effects of Information Hacking for a Business

Information Hacking is a phenomenon that is here and is likely to continue to evolve so users and companies need to be aware of this and take precautions to avoid laptops and tablets been hijacked. Eonvia works with companies providing computer security advice – call today and discover the steps you can take to protect your business.