New research from UK2 and YouGov has found that over half of Brits are putting themselves at risk of ID theft by using public WiFi hotspots.
The figures suggest that 56 per cent of public WiFi users do not check if WiFi is encrypted before browsing on smartphones, tablets and laptops. Some 8pc of UK WiFi users admitted to having entered their online banking password when using public WiFi, putting their information at risk from the threat of phishing and other cyber attacks.
Taking such statistics into account, UK2’s own research further indicates that British consumers are potentially risking over £2 billion by accessing online banking via unsecure public WiFi networks in coffee shops, hotels, airports and other public areas. A combined total of about £2,095,000,000 is said to be at risk of theft from British consumers’ bank accounts through phishing and other cyber attacks, enabled by unsecure public WiFi.
Public WiFi networks in places such as coffee shops, pubs, airports or hotels, are often unsecured connections which can expose personal data and leave devices open to online threats such as malware, spyware and cyber-snooping.
The findings have been announced by UK2 as it launches VPNHQ, a new brand enabling users to set up a VPN (Virtual Private Network) quickly and easily. VPNHQ employs native features of mobile devices to encrypt wireless communications, which makes using public WiFi networks far more secure and greatly reduces the chance of private information such as passwords or bank details being stolen or compromised.
When questioned, 67pc of online UK adults did not know what is meant by the term VPN, and 68pc of smartphone users did not know whether or not their device had VPN functionality. A discrepancy to emerge from the research is that, despite the apparent lack of precautions taken in public, 86pc of online adults who ever access WiFi at home take measures to ensure that their WiFi is secure.
“The results of our research on public WiFi usage suggest that users prioritise convenience over taking sensible security precautions,” says Russell Foster, managing director of VPNHQ. “The amount of personal data transmitted from mobile devices is growing, making them increasingly attractive targets for cyber criminals. Using a VPN is a simple, cost-effective and unobtrusive solution which exploits technology already native on almost every internet-enabled device on earth to provide security and peace of mind when using any wireless network.”
The research also suggests that many consumers are in fact aware of the risks presented by public WiFi networks. According to the research 46pc of all online UK adults are concerned about viruses, 41pc admitted to worries about phishing or pharming, and 40pc are anxious about the threat of cyber-snooping or hacking while using mobile devices.
Yet despite these concerns 22pc of UK WiFi users have entered their email password when using public WiFi, 21pc have logged into their Facebook account and 8pc have sent their online banking password. Some 15pc of those questioned had entered credit or debit card details to make purchases over public WiFi. Without a secure VPN tunnel, this information is freely available to any hackers who might be snooping on a public WiFi network.
Some selected statistics from the research read as follows:
· 45% of UK WiFi users could be putting their passwords and data at risk by using public WiFi to log-in to email, 37% access Facebook and 14% even log-in to online banking
· 15% of the UK’s public WiFi users have entered credit or debit card details over a public WiFi network
· 40% of all online UK adults worry about cyber-snooping
· But 42% of all online UK adults who ever use public WiFi never or only “rarely” check whether or not a WiFi network is secure before use
· Whereas 86% of all online UK adults who ever access Wi-Fi at home take measures to ensure that their WiFi at home is secure
· 42% of all online UK adults would use public WiFi more often if they could guarantee the security of their data
· 67% do not know what a VPN is, and are therefore unaware of how a Virtual Private Network could make their data usage more secure
· And 68% of smartphone owners do not even know whether or not their smartphone has a VPN function
VPNHQ is available in the UK, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and Australia for a monthly subscription. For a limited time VPNHQ will be available for free, after which it will revert to its standard price of £4/$7USD per month. Once activated it can be used worldwide, enabling users to securely tunnel into their home country wherever they are in the world. For further details of international pricing – visit the VPNHQ website at www.vpnhq.com.
About UK2
UK2 Group provides domain name registration and web hosting services to global customers through its hosting brands – UK2.net, midPhase, WestHost, 100TB.com, VPS.net. The group operates its services out of several data centres in the UK and US. UK2 Group hosts over 1,000,000 domains for customers across 75 countries.
About the research
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2124 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken from December 16 to 19, 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18-plus).
