Google isn't the first major organisation to warn about this. They have, however, waded into the debate about whether it’s safe to use public Wi-Fi – and it’s not good news. Experts have consistently warned that using public Wi-Fi networks puts users at risk of fraud capable of raiding bank accounts.
These free Wi-Fi networks have become commonplace in everywhere from local coffee shops, to airports. They’re especially ideal for areas with poor 4G or 5G, or simply to save some of your phone’s data allowance. But sadly public Wi-Fi networks are targeted by cyber criminals. As Google puts it, these networks tend to be “unencrypted and easily exploited by attackers”.
So it's just good common sense to remember that nothing for free is ever to be trusted if you don't know the source and reason for it. Things that are free almost always come with some kind of cost...
It isn't just the public wi-fi. Criminals can replace the public USB power ports with chipsets that can connect to a phone and upload malware or offload all your usernames and passwords. Charge your phone and steal your data at the same time.
ReplyDeleteA much bigger, and less well known, risk. While I don't do anything financial or private on my phone, that's not an option for many. Even just the loss of a contact list can enable a social engineering scam.
DeleteI thought the tsa don't allow lithium batteries on carry on.
ReplyDeletePeople put their banking info on their phone? That's ridiculous. I don't put it on my computer either.
ReplyDelete