Unsecure WiFi a tempting target for hackers

Sitting on the deck of a friend’s apartment last week, I read the newspaper online, checked e-mail, chatted with one of the kids, and did some other work – all on somebody else’s wireless network.

It probably was a next-door neighbor who pays for the Internet connection that I used for an hour, and my piggy backing probably slowed down their access a tiny bit. That network also is a freebie for other residents of the building, customers in the cafe downstairs, and even people with laptop computers parked in cars outside in the street.

If one of them happens to be a hacker with network snooping software, he might intercept the unsuspecting host’s private e-mail, credit card numbers used for online purchases, passwords, and other personal information.

Wireless networks in homes and businesses are a wonderful innovation that seemed like pure science fiction just a few years ago.