Dangers of Public Wi-Fi

Free wi-fi is widely available and tempting to use, especially when traveling.  Hotels, airports, coffee shops, even NYC subway stations provide it. 

But the dangers of public wi-fi are many-fold.  Not only are they hunting grounds for hackers, but a new report from security firm FireEye claims a Russian hacker group known as APT28, or Fancy Bear, used hotel Wi-Fi networks to spy on high-value guests.

While use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) can safeguard against unsafe wi-fi networks, recent bans of VPNs by Russia and China further complicate matters. 

Bob Braun with Jeffer Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, says when using any public wi-fi, you are inherently at risk.