Somebody's e-watching you!
20/03/08
WiFi piggybacking is now the most common crime in the UK committed by around 6 million Britons each year. Research by Geek Squad revealed that 1 in 5 Brits admit to taking advantage of an unsecured WiFi connection. Last year more than 31 million British adults accessed the internet[1]. Worryingly the survey revealed only 1 in 2 thought a £1000 fine and 6 months in prison[2] a sufficient deterrent to using your neighbours WiFi connection.
The nation’s curtain twitching population has gone technical, taking the nosey neighbour concept to new, hi-tech heights by ‘e-watching’ – looking for available connections to piggyback. Almost half (40%) of those surveyed claimed they didn’t know how to secure their connection and one in five (20%) said they just couldn’t be bothered despite identity fraud potentially costing users up to £85k[3].
Ironically, given this apathy, 85% of people surveyed said they would be enraged if they discovered their neighbour was using their connection. Little wonder since WiFi piggybacking can not only have a huge impact on your bill at the end of the month it can also have other more lasting repercussions for inter neighbour relations. Piggybacking a connection can significantly slow it down, particularly if the person is downloading large files or sending large email attachments (which 32% of respondents admitted to doing). In more extreme cases, criminals could access the owner’s personal data or use the connection for illegal activities such as spamming.
Regionally, the North West is the most ‘switched on’ when it comes to technology and 69% claim to protect their current connection. In contrast to this 1 in 5 Londoners said they wouldn’t care if their neighbour was using their WiFi. People in the South West have the most trusting nature, sharing personal data with friends and family. 50% said they share their chip and pin number with loved ones, but would think twice before handing out their WiFi password according to research commissioned by Geek Squad.
Commenting on the findings, Geek Squad agent Marcelo Martins said, “WiFi watching just isn’t cool and it’s causing our customers headaches. We’ve even helped some customers who have been locked out of their own connections by opportunistic neighbours – the cheek of it! The Hyacinth Buckets of this world have had a high tech makeover and, at Geek Squad, we advise people to take precautions, you don’t know who might be looking in your Windows.”
[1] One in five people surveyed admitted to piggybacking an unsecured wireless connection. According to the National Statistics report, “Internet Access 2007, Households and Individuals” (August 2007), 31.8 million adults accessed the internet in 2007. A fifth of this is 6.36m people. If you compare this criminal activity to recorded crime figures in the UK for 06/07 (see The British Crime Survey (BCS) “Crime in England and Wales 2006/07,at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1107.pdf ) it’s clear that instances of this greatly outnumber any other recorded crime in the UK. As a comparative example, just under 300,000 burglaries were recorded, making wifi piggy-backing twenty times more common.
2 Under the 2003 Communications Act and the 1990 Computer Misuse Act. To date, 11 people have been arrested for using other people's wireless broadband connection in the UK.
3 Garlik's UK Cybercrime report (https://www.garlik.com/press/Garlik_UK_Cybercrime_Report.pdf) estimates that the average Brit’s identity is worth £85,000.
The Geek Squad is working to eradicate the crime and is on hand to secure your network on 0800 049 4335 or at www.thegeeksquad.co.uk.
ads five simple steps to WiFi protection:
1. Change Default Administrator Passwords (and Usernames)
2. Disable Remote Management
3. Turn on your Encryption
4. Disable and Change the Default SSID
5. Enable MAC address filtering
Geek Squads five simple steps to WiFi protection:
1. Change Default Administrator Passwords (and Usernames)
2. Disable Remote Management
3. Turn on your Encryption
4. Disable and Change the Default SSID
5. Enable MAC address filtering
Top Five consequences of leaving your WiFi unsecured:
1. Can gain access to your home files and personal information – potentially enough to apply for credit in your name e.g. a loan
2. Can download software to get access to your bank details
3. Can download software to get access to your PayPal account
4. Can download software to get access to your Facebook, MySpace or email account
5. Can illegally download music and films through unofficial channels which police can track back to you
