Where do people feel most at risk of being pwned? The pub
- Reference: 1698828306
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/11/01/pints_pork_scratchings_and_passwordfree/
- Source link:
Research from service provider NordVPN, carried out by survey company Cint, discovered that 52 percent of little Britons feel most at risk from nefarious cybercrims when they visit pubs, cafes and restaurants.
For those outside the island nation, a pub is not merely a place to buy an alcoholic beverage. It is home to sticky carpets, pork scratchings (roasted pork rind), insufferable experts and dubious banter. And yet, it is also seen by some as a sanctuary.
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Unless, it turns out, you use the password-free Wi-Fi. This is based on a survey of 1,012 respondents aged 18 years and older in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Poland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Spain.
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It was the Brits who put the internet at hospitality venues as the top safety concern for device users, followed by the Wi-Fi offered on public transport and at shopping centers. Only one in five (20 percent) fear they would become a cyber victim at the office.
[4]Bringing cakes into the office is killing your colleagues, says UK food watchdog boss
[5]Nothing to scoff at: Crisps and nuts biz KP Snacks smacked in ransomware hack attack
[6]Cornish drinkers catch a different kind of buzz as pub installs electric fence at bar
[7]Pub landlords on notice as 'Internet of Beer' firm not only pulls pints, but can also clean the lines
[8]We need to talk about criminal adversaries who want you to eat undercooked onion rings
Despite the concerns, public Wi-Fi usage in the UK is among the highest of leading nations with 41 percent of people prepared to risk good security hygiene to use password-free services.
Still, network tech is not all bad in the land of British pubs, some of which, possibly, have sustained a thousand years of history. Brewers have been encouraged to sign up to what El Reg calls the [9]Internet of Beer . The aim is to tackle the problem of stolen kegs – even an empty one can be worth £50. Supplier of the tech, Smarter Technologies, highlighted the recent [10]theft of more than £2,000 worth from Arundel Brewery .
The hi-tech vs old pub dichotomy has been captured more recently by Ellison Institute of Technology's [11]decision to buy the 350-year-old Eagle and Child in Oxford .
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It is the one Larry Ellison venture where users do not necessarily fear a lock-in. Please raise your glasses to a sharp-brained Reg reader for that last zinger. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZUIv1ILmmPtrmzDpg-@YSAAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZUIv1ILmmPtrmzDpg-@YSAAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZUIv1ILmmPtrmzDpg-@YSAAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/20/cakes_in_the_office/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/03/kp_snacks_ransomware_infection/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/14/cornish_pub_electric_fence/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/23/the_internet_of_beer_grows/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/20/cisco_talos_corosi_fryer_flaws/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/23/internet_of_beer/
[10] https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/crime/thieves-target-arundel-brewery-stealing-43-kegs-3194051
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/26/larry_ellison_oxford_pub/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZUIv1ILmmPtrmzDpg-@YSAAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Just not worth the risk of using this, especially as pubs might be using dodgy unpatched routers as well. Most places now (in urban areas, anyway) do have a 4G signal.
Can people not manage without internet access for more than five minutes?
But then how would they solve pub arguments if they can't google?
Leading questions or a fair and balanced enquiry?
Do you feel at risk from a cyberattack?
Where do you feel at risk from a cyberattack?
From this list, where do you think you are most at risk from a cyberattack?
Do you think there is any genuine difference between a hotspot you sign into compared to one without a password? Have you considered that signing into one means you have just given your email to somebody and agreed to their terms, without reading them very, very carefully? Want to change your mind about your last but one answer?
Do you have any idea what a cyberattack actually is and how much damage could realistically be created by one? Compared to the damage you leave yourself open to by just posting all that stuff on social media in the first place?
Are any of these surveys worth reporting?
Or is the real value from these surveys that they give people the chance to pontificate on why does anyone risk public hotspots, and go on and on and on about how clever they are, always using VPNs and two hundred disposable emails, aren't all those other people just uninformed fools who don't know how to survive in the modern world? I.e. be online pub bores?
For those times when there's no mobile signal...
... the right software will ensure you are Very Probably Not in danger of being hacked by "free" wi-fi.
Mine's the device running that software with a set of single disposable email addresses for registration to ensure all contacts from the wi-fi provider and their carelessly selected business partners fall screaming into the abyss unread.