Holiday travelers: 89% of public Wi-Fi connections are not safe

It is the season of travel, where people buckle up on planes and trains across the world, relishing the relatively recent wide-spread availability of public Wi-Fi.

This year, however, it seems people have wisened up to the fact that the Starbucks Wi-Fi isn’t the same secure and convenient connection you get at home. And that’s a good thing as 89 percent of public Wi-Fi connections are unsecured and open to bad actors, according to research from VPN provider AnchorFree.

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Indeed 84 percent of travelers aren’t properly protecting themselves from public Wi-Fi threats because many of them don’t even realize they’re connected. This is due to the fact that people are connecting more often on their mobile devices when out of the house, many of which automatically switch to available Wi-Fi networks for you.

Tips when traveling using public Wi-Fi: don’t do any online shopping, online banking, and don’t connect to your e-mail unless you’re sure you trust the connection.

Check out the infographic below for more stats on connecting on-the-go this holiday season: