Why is public Wi-Fi more risky?
Question from Gretchen Schneider
Public Wi-Fi hotspots, such as those offered by cafes and hotels, don’t require any authentication when you connect to them. This makes it relatively easy for anyone with the right technological know-how to access the data stored on your connected device.
For example, they could intercept the connection and gain access to anything you send via the internet, including emails and money transactions, or they could use the network to plant infected software, called malware, onto your device.
Answered by Jo Stass for Brain Dump in How It Works issue 128.
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