Posted: 13th Sep, 2011 By: MarkJ


A new study of 500 UK internet users has revealed that a staggering
58% admit to having used somebody else's broadband connection without permission (i.e. '
piggybacking' via an unsecured Wi-Fi wireless link) and 29% saw absolutely nothing wrong with the practice.
The
PC Support Group (PCSG) survey points to the
Communications Act 2003, which strictly prohibits the dishonest use of an electronics communications service with the intent to avoid paying. But proving deliberate dishonesty, especially for a network that has been left "
open" and could thus be connected to via automatic settings, would be a complicated affair (they're also easily confused with public Wi-Fi Hotspots that are intentionally left open).
The Managing Director of PCSG, Phil Bird, explained:
"There's also a view that if someone does not take the trouble to password-protect their wireless network they have to accept the consequences. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, if you don't make your system secure, you are at the very least likely to end up paying for someone else to have the privilege of accessing the web. It will also slow your use of the internet."
Happily the number of unsecured Wi-Fi networks has declined from 25% in 2006 to 6% in 2011, although
77% of people with a secured WiFi link would disclose the pass code to a friend. Interestingly 84% of business users also claimed to access Wi-Fi connections when outside of the office, yet just 11% of firms provided guidance for staff on how to keep their data secure.
Earlier this year a similar study by the
Information Commissioners Office (ICO) found that 40% of UK people who have wireless networks ( Wi-Fi ) at home do not understand how to change the security settings (
here). Another study across six UK cities by
CPP, a life assistance company, discovered that almost
40,000 private home WiFi networks lacked adequate protection (
here) and nearly a quarter had no password whatsoever.
The situation is especially tedious because it means that a vast swathe of Wi-Fi networks could be unwittingly exposing their broadband connections to potential abuse, such as "
illegal" file sharing (P2P) that under the new
Digital Economy Act (DEA) could result in the owners ISP connection being disconnected ("
suspended"). We have a useful article that offers some help for securing your wireless network:
Top 10 Wireless (Wi-Fi) Security Tips.