Use of public Wi-Fi jumps 240%

Despite the fear of identity theft and threats from computer viruses, the use of public wireless Internet has jumped by 240% in the last 12 months, a new survey has found.

The top log-in sites were coffee shops and restaurants (75%), hotels (54%) and airports (38%), according to an online survey of 377 people by the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center in partnership with Private Wifi, a firm that develops online protection software.

Still, Internet users are aware of the risks of using public Wi-Fi. Nearly 80% of those surveyed said they feared they could be victims of identify theft. Nonetheless, 24% of those surveyed said they made an online purchase using a credit card and 57% accessed sensitive work-related material.

The survey authors suggest that users of public Wi-Fi log on with a virtual private network, or VPN, to protect their data. But 44% of those surveyed said they didn’t know there was a way to protect themselves on a public Wi-Fi.

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