TOURISTS have been warned of the dangers of connecting to public WiFi at tourist hot spots.
Experts have urged Brits to look out for the warning signs of hackers bank raiding attacks.
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Connecting to WiFi in hotels, airports and other popular destinations could put your personal data and even your money at risk.
The hot spots have become hunting grounds for malicious hackers taking advantage of rushed tourists, free WiFi and relaxed security awareness.
Shocking statistics revealed by McAfee show 25% of travellers are hacked while using public WiFi abroad.
Terrifyingly 40% of people have had their information compromised while using public WiFi networks.
Brits have been warned of a few of the methods used by criminals to hack their personal data.
“Evil twin networks” which impersonate legitimate WiFi networks are a particular concern.
These have been used to steal personal information and even gain access to banks.
The “Evil twin network” sets up with a name similar to publicly available networks like “Airport_WiFi” instead of “Airport_Wi-Fi.”
Unsuspecting tourists then connect to the dodgy network and from their hackers can gain access to their data.
The technology needed to carry out an “Evil twin network” attack is now cheaper than ever making it more appealing to hackers.
The tech to pull off one of these attacks can be bought for less than $500.
Several other methods are used by dodgy internet crooks to steal data from unsuspecting tourists.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that “vacation brain” can leave tourists with their guards down, making them easy targets.
Brits have been urged to keep themselves safe online while travelling with several security methods recommended to tourists.
Using a VPN to mask your personal data from network providers is top of the list.
Reviewing travel security settings is also important, your devices have inbuilt settings to protect your data from malicious actors.
Reviewing these and ensuring you have them turned on when travelling is a key step to ensuring your safe online while abroad.
Taking extra care not to connect to malicious or dodgy looking WiFi networks is also important.
Experts are urging tourists to make absolutely sure the networks they connect to abroad are secure and legitimate.
Remaining vigilant even while trying to relax on holiday is important to protect your data.
How to stay safe from hackers
- Protect your devices and networks by keeping them up to date: use the latest supported versions, use anti-virus and scan regularly to guard against known malware threats.
- Use multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of password compromises.
- Tell staff how to report suspected phishing emails, and ensure they feel confident to do so, investigate their reports promptly and thoroughly.
- Set up a security monitoring capability so you are collecting the data that will be needed to analyse network intrusions
- Prevent and detect lateral movement in your organisation’s networks.
