WiFi pilfering a common tactic

More than one in 10 internet users have logged on to someone else’s unsecured WiFi connection without their permission, a new survey has revealed.

Network World reports that 12% of respondents to an Accenture survey of 800 internet users in the US and Britain admitted to hopping on board someone else’s WiFi connection without their knowledge.

The practice is even more common among the 18 to 34 year olds surveyed, with one in three fessing up to WiFi pilfering.

The proliferation of WiFi in homes and apartments, and the apparent preparedness of many people to use WiFi without implementing security measures to prevent anyone in range of their WiFi router from logging in, have made WiFi piggybacking a common phenomenon.

Or perhaps the WiFi has password protection but outsiders are guessing them – according to the Accenture survey, nearly half of all internet users use the same password for all their online accounts and devices.