Cybersecurity threat posed by public Wi-Fi use

The use of unsecured public Wi-Fi is posing a security risk for approximately two million Australians.

An RMIT University report indicates that many people are conducting their banking and other financial transactions on unsecured networks.

“Australia ranks sixth highest on an international scale of cyber attacks, which means we should be highly attentive to security issues,” said Dr Ian McShane, RMIT Centre for Urban Research.

“Unsecured networks are easy pickings for hackers and cybercriminals but we found that even where users are familiar with security options, many choose to forgo them, preferring convenience over security.”

Funded by the auDA Foundation, the ‘Practicing safe public Wi-Fi: Assessing and managing data-security risks’ report analysed survey data from a demographically representative sample of 1200 adult Australians to uncover what public Wi-Fi networks are used for, as well as what consumers know about network security.

The results showed there was limited awareness of data security risks and the measures people could take to minimise risk.

The report also criticises the long and overly complex terms and conditions to which consumers must agree to access some public Wi-Fi networks.

“Many of these agreements are overly complex and often bury security advice and alerts at the end, which raises the question of whether consumers are making informed choices,” McShane said.

Co-author of the report Associate Professor Mark Gregory, from the RMIT School of Engineering, said network providers and policymakers must prioritise consumer education on security.

“If Australia is to implement a successful rollout of public Wi-Fi, then governmental, industry and consumer bodies must consider developing a public awareness campaign on public Wi-Fi security,” Gregory said.

“Businesses and employers should actively develop protocols and procedures relating to public Wi-Fi use.

“Given the level of financial transactions conducted over insecure public networks, financial institutions too have a strong incentive to take part in such campaigns.”

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