In a recent survey carried out by SecureAuth, it was found that Britons have a very relaxed point of view when it comes to online security, 71% of participants chose to improve internet speeds over personal online security. A surprising 3 in 5 Brits said that they were happy to share personal identifiable information (PII) over public Wi-Fi connections. With 40% happy to give out their address, 35% their account passwords, 27% would give out their credit/debit card number and 9% would share their passport number over a public network.
When connecting to a public network a large proportion of participants felt more secure when asked to login using a username and password, however 23% said that they felt secure even when no login details were required.
When looking at user behaviour, SecureAuth found that 49% go online shopping whilst connected to public networks, others even carry out online banking with more than 1 in 3 (36%) using their account information to access their bank. The survey found that it isn’t just personal security in jeopardy but with 28% using open networks to access work emails there is a very real security threat to businesses too.
“With one Wi-Fi hotspot for every six people in the UK, there is no shortage of opportunity for bad actors to take advantage. In 2015, there were more than 2,000 confirmed breaches and it’s estimated that 63% of those attacks leveraged stolen credentials. Whilst not all of these attacks took place over public Wi-Fi, clearly it is a window of opportunity for bad actors and there is a need for more consumer education around online security,” commented Craig Lund, SecureAuth CEO.
The appeal of public networks is that they are open, anyone can connect and it is convenient. Unfortunately, that means that a host of people can access your information via network-sniffing or third party data gathering. This can then be used to do serious damage to financial information, identities can be stolen and data can be used against the owner.
“Users will always take the path of least resistance and companies can’t rely on individuals to take adequate measures,” continued Craig Lund. “Businesses can make it much harder for criminals to make use of stolen credentials by implementing adaptive access controls to protect their corporate network should login details be compromised in an attack, whether through employee fault or otherwise.”
What can you do to stay secure?
- Minimise ricks by using different passwords across multiple online services.
- Do not disclose personal information such as passport number, credit/debit card information, bank account details.
- Always use a private network where possible.
Here at ITC we prioritise the customer and your needs are paramount to us. Why not contact us to discuss your business requirements. Call us on 0845 652 0450 or email us info@clickitc.co.uk.
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