Airport Wi-Fi Hotspots and Identity Theft

Those who take advantage of free airport wi-fi connections might end up being the ones taken advantage of. Travelers are trusting their sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, to float around unencrypted. Hackers and phishers can collect a large amount of useful information simply by sitting in an airport terminal with a laptop.

How does an Identity Thief steal information?

All a person needs is his own access point. This is small enough to fit into the palm of the hand and will definitely go unnoticed. The access point is named anything that will lure in unsuspecting computer users: Public Wi-Fi, Free Airport Wi-Fi, or any of the telephone networks. There is no way for the average traveler to identify a rogue wi-fi access point on the list that your laptop picks up inside the airport. Anything done using http (HyperText Transfer Protocol) might be picked up by an innocent looking hacker sitting anywhere in the terminal.

Airports with secure wi-fi are few and far between

One of the airports willing to spend money on security is McCarran International in Las Vegas. They monitor the airwaves for intruders but they don't censor content.

There are two reasons airports don't have secure wi-fi for travelers. Number one is the cost. Security systems for data that travels through the airwaves is fairly new and quite costly, with only a few companies selling this specialized security service. The second reason is that the government has not yet mandated that airports monitor their networks.

How to protect your privacy when using wi-fi in airports

Before you leave for the airport, check the airport wi-fi connection guides listed on their website. At the airport, avoid choosing wi-fi connections with names like "Free wi-fi" or "Public wi-fi".

While working on your laptop, but not connected to the internet, keep your wi-fi turned off.

When possible, connect securely using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Avoid using unsecured email software, like Outlook, which automatically transmits login information.

The only information that can be captured is information you send out over the airwaves. Nothing on your hard drive is accessible by hackers. If you are using a wi-fi connection you know doesn't have security protection, the most you should do is surf the web on sites you wouldn't mind someone knowing you were looking at. Refrain from making purchases with credit cards or using passwords to enter sites that you wouldn't want someone else entering if they stole your password.

If it's necessary to send credit card or other sensitive information over the internet, be sure to check the URL line. A secured, encrypted page will start with "https://".

Sources:

Forbes.com http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/1208/052.html
Personal experience