The FBI has issued a new warning against the use of hotel Wi-Fi connections, due to public offerings may contain vulnerabilities as a result of poor security measures. The FBI states that this is true for libraries, coffee shops, and other locations with free public Wi-Fi. In the advisory, the FBI also lists several tips on how to protect your device should you have to use a public network. The remote working trend has pushed several US hotels to offer daytime room reservations, for employees who can’t travel to the office and need a quiet environment from which to work.
This recent development might have urged the FBI to release the warning. The relaxed security protocol followed by public places such as hotels can potentially expose personal and work data to a variety of security threats not prevalent in office or home networks. Hotels may also have outdated network equipment and failure to install patches released for vulnerabilities, offering criminals an easy route to exploit devices. In the document, the FBI lists several ways to recognize when your device has been compromised, such as; mobile device suddenly slows in speed, websites automatically redirect, pop-up advertising increases, and the battery life decreases at an unusually fast speed.
Read more: FBI warns of risks of using wireless hotel networks
Read the full report here: A Covid 19-Driven Increase in Telework from Hotels Could Pose a Cybersecurity Risk for Guests
