An old man asked me for a hotspot connection while we were commuting, as guests from the hotel I was staying at during my holidays, to an evening event here in Phuket, Thailand. Out of courtesy, my personal nature of giving and caring, and of course, being a technologist and cyber security aware, I did open my mobile hotspot connection and provided him with the necessary access to communicate with his family via Google Meet (a video conferencing application).
You may note that I profiled the stranger as a family man and the kind of application he was using (i.e., Google Meet). Furthermore, I was aware of the risks associated with such an activity and hence decided that my article this week should revolve around the dangers that one could get into for providing hotspot connections to others. No, you aren’t being kind, caring, or generous.
Instead, you are putting yourself in great danger and risk by sharing your internet connection. Again, I did it, fully aware and protected from the risks (usage of a VPN being one), but I expect many wouldn’t know, hence the article this week.
First and foremost, let me define a hotspot for those who don’t know. A hotspot is a physical location where people can access the internet, typically using WI-Fi, via a wireless local area network (WLAN), with a router connected to an internet service provider. A mobile hotspot is like a personal and portable router that you can use to allow (or enable) others to connect to the internet via your mobile internet-connected device.
Your phone and your tablet can be gateways to the internet. Many devices have this feature. You only need a connection to the internet (and the hotspot feature enabled) to allow others to connect to the internet through you (your device, be it a mobile or tablet).
The incident that has happened to me can happen to you or your loved ones, where a stranger can request your or their help by asking for a hotspot connection in order to connect to the internet to communicate with their families, check emails, and/or search for information (an address or location per se). This can happen to you while you’re working and/or on the go (be it while traveling, waiting in a line, at a hotel, airport, hospital, etc.) or in a public place. You being generous (and as one of the beautiful traits of most Omanis), open your hotspot, and boom, share the connection. That’s dangerous and risky and should be avoided at all costs (especially with strangers and people you don’t know). Let me tell you why.
First, anything you do while connected to the internet revolves around you transmitting data over the connection. This data is mostly not encrypted (i.e., not converted into a cipher code). As a result, someone that you are sharing a hotspot connection with may be able to intercept and read your data, which could be sensitive, such as passwords, financial details, and/or personal communication.
Secondly, most people subscribe to packages that have a download or upload size limit. The person you share a connection with may consume your data allowance, causing unexpected results and forcing you to pay costly charges (especially if you are on a roaming network).
Thirdly, your battery will be drained quite fast due to sharing a hotspot, which may leave you without access (especially if you don’t have a portable charger or an adapter around with you).
Fourthly, do you know that anything the stranger does (for example, sites he or she visits, posts, or uses) that is unlawful will be pointed back to you at the end? Yes, you will be responsible because they were using your connection and representing you on the network. Last but not least, you are exposing your personal data and device, which may also lead to unauthorized access and data breaches (due to sharing your hotspot connection). These are some of the dangers and risks you may face due to hotspot sharing.
Sharing your mobile hotspot may seem convenient, caring, and giving, yet the reality is that you are taking a great risk. Avoiding sharing your internet connection is the best thing you can do, especially with strangers whom you may never be able to find once you get into some of the problems and troubles I have shared in my article today. Better be safe than sorry. Not everyone in this world is as kind and caring as yourself. Be vigilant and stay safe. Until we catch up again next week, keep winning.
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