by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:31 PM ET, Wed October 3, 2018
A new survey revealed travelers are not as concerned as they should be regarding potential security issues when using Wi-Fi at an airport or while on a plane.
According to the recent survey by The GO Group, LLC, almost 25 percent of airline passengers said they are "not at all concerned" about Wi-Fi security, while another 48 percent admitted the concerns had them somewhat distressed.
Nine percent of respondents confessed they never thought about their security while online at airports or on their flights, but 19 percent said they were very concerned about potential breaches.
"Travelers need to be aware that it is not overly difficult for criminals to steal personal information when people use Wi-Fi networks in public spaces," The GO Group president John McCarthy said in a statement. "All thieves need is a battery powered hotspot."
While only three percent revealed they have had personal information stolen while using Wi-Fi in an airport or on a plane, another 28 percent said they had no idea if any of their data had been stolen or not.
"Using common sense and taking active measures, such as verifying the full name of the Wi-Fi network, turning off file sharing, only using sites with HTTPS encryptions and not conducting online financial transactions can go a long way in protecting sensitive information," McCarthy continued.
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