FBI Warning About Hotel Wi-Fi Risks
Posted: October 06, 2020
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Checking into a hotel and connecting immediately to the wi-fi is something we've all done. With the pandemic having more folks working remotely and hotels offering daytime room reservations so folks can have a quiet place to work from, using hotel wi-fi is becoming even more common. But, before you connect you should take into consideration that the hotel is most likely not implementing tight security measures to protect your personal or work data. This can lead to not only a compromise of your personal computer, but could also lead to a breach of your employer's network. Taking a few simple steps can help protect you, and your company if you're working remotely, from being vulnerable to hackers and cyber criminals.
Lance Whitney, contributing writer to TechRepublic, shares the FBI warning about hotel wi-fi risks.
As the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have forced a shift to remote work, many people are working not just from home but from public locations. The pitfall here is that a public location may not have the tight security measures required to protect sensitive data and other assets. That vulnerability holds true for libraries, coffee shops, and even hotels. In a
new warning about hotel Wi-Fi, the FBI provides several tips on how to protect yourself when using such a public network.
As the remote work trend continues, many US hotels, usually in major cities, have started offering daytime room reservations for guests who want a quiet environment in which to work. This may be a convenient option if you're unable to work from home. But the often lax security found in hotel Wi-Fi networks can expose both personal and work data to different types of security threats.
The wireless passwords maintained by many hotels aren't exactly a secret. Small hotels often display the password on a sign at their service desk. Further, such passwords are changed infrequently.
Read the entire article,
Wi-Fi security: FBI warns of risks of using wireless hotel networks, on
TechRepublic.