23 March 2017
One in four Wi-Fi hotspot are unsecured and pose a risk to users' personal data, messages, passwords and documents and can easily be intercepted and used by attackers, according to a report by a global cyber security firm.
Kaspersky Lab’s analysis of 31 million Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide showed that 25 percent of the world’s Wi-Fi networks have no encryption or password protection of any kind, meaning the information they transmit is completely open and can be read by third parties.
It’s worth noting that the top 20 countries with the highest percentage of non-encrypted Wi-Fi hotspots includes many popular tourist destinations such as Thailand, France and the United States.
Denis Legezo, antivirus expert at Kaspersky Lab, said travellers are among the most vulnerable because the nearest available Wi-Fi hotspot is often the only way for them to stay connected.
The study revealed that just 3 percent of hotspots use Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) to encrypt data but even this is not reliable protocol and can be “cracked” within minutes, using tools that are freely available on the Internet, the report said.
In the United Arab Emirates, the results of a separate survey released earlier this month found that 63 percent of respondents are concerned about their Internet accounts being hacked.
Of those surveyed, 25 percent said cybercriminals had tried to hack their accounts during the last 12 months, while 36 percent said hackers gained access by simply guessing their password.
Further reading:
GCC cybersecurity lab launched in Bahrain
Cybersecurity in the Middle East - the legal view
Saudi facilities sustained nearly 1,000 cyber attacks in 2016
Dubai businesses more worried about cybercrime than intelligence agencies
© Express 2017
One in four Wi-Fi hotspot are unsecured and pose a risk to users' personal data, messages, passwords and documents and can easily be intercepted and used by attackers, according to a report by a global cyber security firm.
Kaspersky Lab’s analysis of 31 million Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide showed that 25 percent of the world’s Wi-Fi networks have no encryption or password protection of any kind, meaning the information they transmit is completely open and can be read by third parties.
It’s worth noting that the top 20 countries with the highest percentage of non-encrypted Wi-Fi hotspots includes many popular tourist destinations such as Thailand, France and the United States.
Denis Legezo, antivirus expert at Kaspersky Lab, said travellers are among the most vulnerable because the nearest available Wi-Fi hotspot is often the only way for them to stay connected.
The study revealed that just 3 percent of hotspots use Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) to encrypt data but even this is not reliable protocol and can be “cracked” within minutes, using tools that are freely available on the Internet, the report said.
In the United Arab Emirates, the results of a separate survey released earlier this month found that 63 percent of respondents are concerned about their Internet accounts being hacked.
Of those surveyed, 25 percent said cybercriminals had tried to hack their accounts during the last 12 months, while 36 percent said hackers gained access by simply guessing their password.
Further reading:
GCC cybersecurity lab launched in Bahrain
Cybersecurity in the Middle East - the legal view
Saudi facilities sustained nearly 1,000 cyber attacks in 2016
Dubai businesses more worried about cybercrime than intelligence agencies
© Express 2017
