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Millions of Australians using unsecure Wi-Fi to access online banking: study

Xinhua, December 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Millions of Australians are risking data breaches every day by doing online banking on public Wi-Fi networks, a study has found.

The study, published by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) on Thursday, revealed that up to 2 million Australians were conducting their online banking and financial transactions on unsecured Wi-Fi networks.

The study surveyed a demographically representative sample of 1, 200 adult Australians to uncover what public Wi-Fi was used for and what the average Australian knew about network security.

Ian McShane, the lead author of the research paper from RMIT's Centre for Urban Research, said that in the three months prior to the survey at least 10 million Australians logged onto public networks but the survey revealed there was limited awareness of data security.

"Australia ranks sixth highest on an international scale of cyber-attacks, which means we should be highly attentive to security issues," McShane said in a RMIT media release on Thursday.

"Yet we found that almost two million Australians were conducting financial transactions, and around one million were performing work-related tasks, including email and file sharing, on insecure networks."

"Unsecured networks are easy pickings for hackers and cyber criminals but we found that even where users are familiar with security options, many choose to forgo them, preferring convenience over security.

"This not only exposes public Wi-Fi users, but also puts businesses at significant risk."

Mark Gregory, a co-author on the study from the RMIT School of Engineering, said the study proved network providers and policy-makers needed to prioritize consumer education on security.

"If Australia is to implement a successful roll-out of public Wi-Fi, then governmental, industry and consumer bodies must consider developing a public awareness campaign on public Wi-Fi security," Gregory said.

"Businesses and employers should actively develop protocols and procedures relating to public Wi-Fi use."

"Given the level of financial transactions conducted over insecure public networks, financial institutions too have a strong incentive to take part in such campaigns." Endit