In today’s world of wireless networks and internet communications, would you be surprised to know that the majority of information you send over the internet is viewable by third parties?
The shocking truth is that many of our activities over the Internet are highly vulnerable to third party man in the middle attacks.

This presents a variety of real and pressing issues for both home users and businesses, which may be conducting business via risky unsecured networks.

A recent study found that many people still think it is safe to access an unencrypted wireless network. With the number of unencrypted networks rising in places such as airports, hotels and cafes there is a misconception that they are secure places to carry out remote working.

This could not be further from the truth due to the way that the HTTP protocol and the internet in general works. Literally, every website you visit will be available to hackers with little equipment other than a laptop and a powerful Wi-Fi receiver. The person sitting next to you may be intercepting everything you read online, the e-mails you send and any communications via instant messenger.

It does not stop there however; unencrypted wireless networks are real gold mines for even novice hackers. If you’re in the business of sending sensitive e-mails at the local cafe, just remember that what is being sent is visible to anyone with the same equipment you have (laptop & computer).

Luckily, information theft is preventable with adequate security policy. One of the best ways to ensure that information is safe is by using virtual private networks to link back to your office and effectively encrypt everything. However, even in some cases, this is not sufficient and as a result some form of encryption is always recommended to ensure that e-mail security and file security is maintained.