PR90904

LONDON, August 5, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

JTB forecasts 40 million Japanese

[https://www.travelvoice.jp/english/jtb-forecasts-40-million-japanese-domestic-t

ravelers-for-this-summer-vacation-period-45-fewer-travelers-than-two-years-ago]

domestic travelers for this vacation period, this puts a lot of travelers in

danger. Even though these domestic tourists have provided much-needed relief to

the bleeding hotel industry of Japan, experts warn about the risks public Wi-Fi

in hotels may pose.

"Hackers often use hotel Wi-Fi to attack guests. This is especially important

now that travelers are keen to see more familiar places and stay in local

hotels, which often have poorly secured networks," NordVPN's

[http://www.nordvpn.com/ja/] digital privacy expert Daniel Markuson explains.

How can hotel Wi-Fi be hacked?

Hackers can connect to hotel Wi-Fi as easily as guests do, snoop on users'

online activity and steal their passwords and personal information. They can

also install malware on a user's computer or hack into the hotel's database and

download the guests' credit card information.

Another threat is hackers positioning themselves as a Wi-Fi hotspot — the

so-called evil twin Wi-Fi. In this scenario, cybercriminals set up fake

unprotected Wi-Fi hotspots next to the hotel to trick hotel guests into

connecting. Such networks usually have an unsuspicious name such as "Guest

Wi-Fi".

"Hotel networks are often built for the guests' convenience, ignoring security

practices. This is especially common in smaller hotels, where simple and

easy-to-remember passwords are created in favor of the guests," Daniel Markuson

from NordVPN [http://www.nordvpn.com/ja/] emphasizes.

How can guests stay protected?

Daniel Markuson recommends using mobile data while away from home instead of

hotel or any other public Wi-Fi. However, if this is impossible, here are some

things travelers can do to stay protected:

- Connect to secured Wi-Fi. Ask the person at the reception desk to give you

the exact name and password of the hotel you are staying in.

- Disable automatic connections. This will prevent you from connecting to the

network you didn't intend to connect to.

- Don't make any purchases or reservations using hotel Wi-Fi. Guests like to

make reservations for attractions in the town or city they are visiting using

hotel Wi-Fi. This is quite convenient but also makes our sensitive information

vulnerable.

- Use a VPN. The best and most effective way to ensure any user's security over

an open Wi-Fi connection is by using a VPN service. It encrypts users' data and

doesn't allow third parties to intercept it.

SOURCE: NordVPN