Are you in a hurry to connect to the Internet after a flight to another country? According to her research Kaspersky Lab, a large proportion of travelers put their personal data at risk as it connects to unsafe networks Wi-Fibecause of the need to connect to the Internet as soon as it arrives in a foreign country.
The survey, involving 11.850 people from Europe, Russia, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and the US, has shown that digital crime is an important issue for those traveling abroad. However, as the most basic travel information (from hotel maps and confirmations to details of check-in and boarding passes) is stored on the Internet, international travelers often have no choice but to connect when arriving.
Many are willing to use a Wi-Fi connection from the risk of paying roaming charges, even though this would put them at risk.
At their exit from the airport, almost half of the Greeks (48%) are already connected to the Internet, with most (62%) connected to inform their family and loved ones that they have arrived safely. Also, almost five out of ten (47%) claim that they are primarily linked to "download" travel information.
Yet, job-related issues (41%) are also a powerful factor for instantly searching for Internet access, as is the desire to connect to social media (46%). Last but not least, 35% of Greeks say it is simply instinctive to connect to the Internet as soon as possible.
Today, connecting and accessing the Internet is so commonplace that almost no one gives a second thought to where and how to connect, or who might be "listening," even when abroad. Almost eight out of ten Greeks (75%) connect to unsecured, free access connections Wi-Fi in airports, hotels, cafes or restaurants.
However, when one is away from the home of and from trusted networks, the lack of attention to network security plays into the hands of digital criminals. According to the survey, 13% of Greek travelers fell victim to a digital crime while away from home, while just 2% said they experienced some criminal activity in real life.
This is no surprise if one thinks that everyone's digital habits are hardly changing at all, not even during a trip abroad, even though there is a strong chance that there is a greater risk exposure to unsafe public networks. 37% of Greek respondents said they are using online banking services and making online purchases via Wi-Fi networks while abroad.
In connection with the above findings, Eugene Kaspersky, President and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, commented: "I travel a lot. My business program περιλαμβάνει διαρκώς συναντήσεις, συνέδρια και διαπραγματεύσεις σε όλο τον κόσμο. Ταξιδεύω με αεροπλάνο πάνω από 100 φορές το χρόνο – κι αυτό είναι ο κανόνας για μένα. Και φυσικά, χρησιμοποιώ διάφορα δημόσια δίκτυα Wi-Fi για να έχω διαρκή πρόσβαση στο Internet. Όμως, το πρώτο πράγμα που κάνω αμέσως μόλις αποκτήσω πρόσβαση στο Διαδίκτυο, είναι να συνδέομαι σε ένα VPN (στη δική μου περίπτωση το Kaspersky Lab VPN) κι αυτό είναι το καλύτερο προληπτικό μέτρο που θα συνιστούσα σε οποιονδήποτε. Επίσης, καλό είναι οι χρήστες να διατηρούν το software them informed, including the security solution, but also not to trust anyone on the Internet."
