Free Airport Wi-Fi Not So Fast

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Free Airport Wi-Fi? Not so fast.

You may want to think twice before using the Wi-Fi at San Diego International Airport. A new study from Cloud security company Coronet ranks the safety of the public Wi-Fi at 45 of the busiest airports and SDIAwas found to be the absolute worst. The study reviewed data over a five-month period starting January 2018. Based on that review, each airport was assigned a threat index score which is an indication of device vulnerability and Wi-Fi network risks. While free—public airport Wi-Fi may often be a godsend—the networks are typically unencrypted, insecure, or improperly configured, said the Coronet study. “Far too many U.S. airports have sacrificed the security of their Wi-Fi networks for consumer convenience,” said Dror Liwer, Coronet’s founder and CISO. “As a result, business travelers in particular put not just their devices, but their company’s entire digital infrastructure at risk every time they connect to Wi-Fi that is unencrypted, unsecured or improperly configured.”

 

What Does That Mean to You?

 

When connecting to public Wi-Fi you put three things at risk: your device, your credentials, and your data.

 

Your Device is at Risk
Malicious public Wi-Fi networks often look like any other network, according to Liwer. But by clicking on ‘accept terms and conditions’ to join, you may be installing malware on your device.

 

Your Credentials are at Risk
As for your credentials, when connecting to a dangerous network, you could be a victim of Wi-Fi phishing: a hacker creates a webpage that looks just like another one (a sign-in page, for example). When your username and password is entered, the reality is you are entering information on a hacker’s site, not the legit website you thought you were logging in to. And now that username and password on that site have been compromised. Worse, if you tend to use the same username & password combination (as many people do) that hacker can access other sites you have logged in to.

 

Your Data is at Risk
Data meanwhile, is an issue for business travelers who typically are working while passing through airports. Transferring data to or from coworkers on a hacker’s network means the information is going through the hacker’s devices. Which means they can download that data and anything that might have been proprietary or confidential—or worse, financial or personal—is now in the hands of hackers.

 

San Diego's airport scored a 10 out of 10, higher than any other airport. Coronet found that a Wi-Fi access point with the name “#SANfreewifi” was running an ARP Poisoning attack, a fact that should make most Wi-Fi using travelers cringe. While the site appeared to users to be the airport-sanctioned free Wi-Fi server, in fact, it was not.

According to the report, the chances of connecting to a medium-risk network in San Diego are 30 percent. The odds of logging onto a high-risk one are about 11 percent.

 

The top 10 Most Vulnerable Airports:

 

• San Diego International (San Diego) – Threat Index Score: 10
• John Wayne Airport-Orange County Airport (Santa Ana, California) – Threat Index Score: 8.7
• William P Hobby Airport (Houston, Texas) – Threat Index Score: 7.5
• Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers, Florida) – Threat Index Score: 7.1
• Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark, New Jersey) – Threat Index Score: 7.1
• Dallas Love Field (Dallas, Texas) – Threat Index Score: 6.8
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (Phoenix, Arizona) – Threat Index Score: 6.5
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport (Charlotte, North Carolina) – Threat Index Score: 6.4
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (Detroit, Michigan) – Threat Index Score: 6.4
• General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (Boston, Masachusetts) – Threat Index Score: 6.4

 

Smart Airport Wi-Fi

 

If you need free airport Wi-Fi, maybe plan your trip through a better airport. According to Coronet, the best choices are Chicago’s Midway, where the Threat Index is 4.5 and Raleigh Durham International with a score of 4.9.

If those airports don't mesh with your travel plans, here are some tips to be safe online:

 

 

• Verify the airport Wi-Fi name before connecting. Many airports will publish their wifi network names in prominent places like columns, walls, or displays near charging stations. Before you join the first network that appears on the list, read the full name of the hotspot network to make sure it matches the name posted on the official airport wifi literature.
• Is there an opt-in page to gain access to the network? Another clue after you've connected to a network might be if the network has an opt-in page or not to agree to the terms of service. Most airport, hotel, and restaurant wifi networks require you to enter an email address and agree to the terms and service before you can access the network. If the network doesn't have an opt-in page or the page looks sketchy, it could potentially be a fake hotspot.
• Suck it up and pay for connectivity. Your airport might also have a private Boingo Wireless hotspot too. Boingo networks are encrypted and safer than a regular public airport wifi hotspot network with their Passpoint feature.
• On your smartphone, keep pictures, notes, and apps stored in a secure folder. This data can only be accessed when unlocked with your secure password.
• Use a VPN tool such as CyberGhost or TunnelBear (both available free for Android and iOS) when surfing on free Wi-Fi. Samsung account holders can automatically turn on Secure Wi-Fi and use the built-in VPN.
• Make sure your laptop or mobile device has the latest security updates installed. You want to make it as difficult for potential hackers to compromise your data as is humanly possible. Regularly installing firmware updates for your operating system, web browser, and apps are one way to keep your computer on lockdown.

 

Always Vigilant

Free Wi-Fi is great for killing time at airports, just employ a little security and a little common sense to avoid data mishaps when surfing in public.

 

Let us find you the best flight (and the safest airport!) That's why we're here!

 

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