Given the generally crappy quality of cellular network connections in Jakarta, public Wi-Fi always feels like a blessed oasis of fast streaming data in a desert of failed calls and slow downloads.
But those public Wi-Fi spots we’re constantly on the lookout for hide more dangers than most realize. A new survey of 2.635 Wi-Fi hotspot in Jakarta by Avast, an anti-virus software company, found that 38.7% of Wi-Fi hotspots in Jakarta were unsecured while 20.2% were being run through routers with weak encryption.
The Chief Operation Officer for Avast, Ondrej Vicek, said that surfing the web on an unsecured Wi-Fi network (ie one that does not require a password) makes it very easy for hackers to get access to any data you upload or download through that network, including your passwords or other sensitive information.
“Due to the growing popularity of cloud storage and the development of free Wi-Fi, an open network that does not require a password puts the user important personal data at risk,” Ondrej told Seluar.id.
Ondrej said mobile devices are similarly at risk when connected to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks, something many Indonesians aren’t aware of.
Even if you are using a secured public Wi-Fi network, it is much more difficult, but still possible for other people on the network to gain access to your data. If you’re working with especially sensitive data on public Wi-Fi, we’d recommend consulting this detailed article from Lifehacker with a list of steps you can take to keep your data secure.
