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http://designyoutrust.com/?p=439108

With WiFi hotspots popping up seemingly everywhere, it’s obvious that our world is becoming increasingly reliant on internet access. This can be GREAT in several different ways, but some drawbacks may cause some to question the viability of even using these access points. From coffee shops to school campuses, access can be had nearly anywhere, but are you really sure that your information is properly protected? Or, better yet, can you even access many of the sites you’d like to visit?

Online censorship is a common practice in several nations, but many don’t realize that many WiFi networks in the United States or UK will also do their part to limit access to certain websites. Companies and schools will often limit online access in an effort to avoid acting as a portal to “inappropriate” content. Social media outlets, particular subjects, and non-work related sites are often considered unacceptable and subsequently blocked. Those wishing to access these sites will need to use a third party network to do so.

In addition to accessibility, several security concerns lurk for those using a public WiFi access point. When using such an unsecured network your traffic can be easily snooped by other people on the same network. This is called “data sniffing” and is an old school hacking technique.

However, in addition to the more seasoned hackers lurking at your local cofee shop, many data sniffing tools have been made available to the general public, free of cost.

“Firesheep”, for example, exposed many of the risks associated with public networks, and caused many users to seek out encryption technology. This simple tool can be used by anyone, even amateur hackers to gain access to your online sessions. For example someone using Firesheep on the same public network could easily gain access to your Facebook account, read your private messages and post on your behalf. Kind of scary if you think about it, right?

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