Free In-Flight WiFi is still the most sought after functionality by Airlines to attract more customers. After all, it allows passengers to kill time by watching videos online or browsing through social media as they make way to their destination.
Do you recall your in-flight experience where you spent your time communicating with friends, clients or colleagues on the internet? You might have checked your personal email while communicating and after you landed nothing wrong happened. May be you got lucky!
Steven Petrow, an author and columnist, did the same using the in-flight Wi-Fi while travelling. However, he came to know about something that most of us might not know. He exposed some critical flaws in the plane’s Wi-Fi security, after a fellow passenger hacked his laptop and accessed his emails during the flight.
According to the victim, who writes for USA Today and the Washington Post, the hacker himself informed him about the security breach after the plane landed. During their walk through the terminal, the hacker informed Petrow that he read all of his emails and he also hacked some other devices that were connected to the Wi-Fi.
How To Stay Safe Using a Public Wi-Fi
It is most likely that some of the passengers might have unknowingly exposed their personal information and financial data to the hacker. The hacker pointed out some crucial details about the hacked emails, which proved that Petrow was actually hacked because of using the in-flight Wi-Fi.
This incident sufficiently makes it clear that the in-flight Wi-Fi on an airplane is not safe for any users’ privacy and security. But, there is something users can do to ensure the protection of their privacy and security, even while they are miles above in the air.
How Should You Use the In-Flight Wi-Fi?
Andrew Ferguson, editor at London-based thinkbroadband.com, informed users that an in-flight Wi-Fi is similar to a public Wi-Fi hotspot, so it is definitely not safe and it is also possible that any hacker can access users’ data on such networks.
In fact, hacking any specific user on the plane is easier for hackers because there is no competing Wi-Fi interference and it limits internet users to one connection only, which makes it easier for hackers to find the specific person and hack their data.
Ferguson suggests that the best way for passengers to use the in-flight Wi-Fi is to use Virtual Private Network to encrypt their data. Even Petrow himself has started to use a paid VPN service after the incident, because it is essentially important for every person to keep their data and online privacy protected on their own.
It is impossible to know how safe a public or in-flight Wi-Fi actually is and you can never rely on the network to protect your data. So, it is always better to keep yourself safe online by using a reliable VPN, like PureVPN, that ensures your security via complete encryption on any network.
So, next time when you use the in-flight Wi-Fi or connect to any Public Wi-Fi hotspot, make sure to turn PureVPN on before you proceed.
