Consumers are unable to resist a strong, free Wi-Fi network and their online behaviors may be placing their personal information at risk, according to Norton By Symantec’s 2017 Norton Wi-Fi Risk Report.
“There is a deep divide between what people think is safe when it comes to using public Wi-Fi versus the reality,” said Ritesh Chopra, Country Manager, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec. “What someone thinks are private on their personal device can easily be accessed by cybercriminals through unsecure Wi-Fi Networks or even apps with privacy vulnerabilities.”
The Norton Wi-Fi Risk Report surveyed more than 15,000 consumers in 15 countries to learn about their public Wi-Fi practices and perceptions. Many of the global findings show that people are aware of the risks of public Wi-Fi, but are not necessarily changing their behaviors. India-specific highlights include:
Consumers Willing to Sacrifice Security for Free Wi-Fi: Consumers’ dependency on a quick, free connection via public Wi-Fi could be placing their personal information at risk. 54% of Indians don’t use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to secure their Wi-Fi connections, even though it is considered a best way for protecting personal information. A worrying Eight percent are unaware of the term, VPN. 73% Indians will do or swap something for a strong Wi-Fi signal including watching a three minute advertisement (35 percent), to something as critical as allowing access to personal emails (19 percent), personal photographs (22 percent), online dating profiles (16 percent), contact lists (19 percent) and giving permission to access and even edit personal social media profiles (19 percent)
Wi-Fi Access Also a Must When Traveling: Clearly, Indians are unable to resist access to a strong, free Wi-Fi network despite the risks. This is especially true while traveling, as Indians say access to a strong Wi-Fi network is a deciding factor when choosing a hotel (82 percent), transport hub (67 percent), which airline to fly (64 percent) or place to eat (62 percent). Further, more than half (51 percent) of people surveyed globally said that the most important reason to stay connected was to use a GPS app to get around.
