Survey: 32% Of You Are Mooching WiFi From A Neighbor

In spite of growing concerns about online security breaches, a new survey claims that nearly one-third of us are still piggybacking on our neighbors’ unencrypted WiFi.

According to a national survey commissioned by the WiFi Alliance, 32% of respondents admitted to mooching off someone else’s free WiFi connection. In 2008, that number was only 18%.

USA Today points to the fact that more than 1 million people downloaded the free eavesdropping software Firesheep in the last year as evidence that anyone hopping onto an unencrypted WiFi connection is taking a big risk.

“People who don’t understand the technology simply have faith,” a senior security adviser at Sophos tells the paper.

Are you a WiFi mooch?

Survey: 32% admit mooching neighbor’s Wi-Fi [USA Today]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.