Wireless Insecurity, Essay Example

Topic

My topic is on the growing use of public WiFi hotspots in the Gulf region and the potential risks involved in connecting computers and other devices to these access points.

Research question

What safety precautions should users take when connecting to public WiFi hotspots?

Thesis

Preliminary research into this subject indicates that a significant number of users connect computers and other devices to public WiFi connections without taking appropriate safety precautions.  The initial thesis for this project is: The growing use of public Internet connections presents a significant safety risk to individual users as well as to other networks.

Background

Public WiFi hotspots typically do not provide the same sort of safety features and protective services that are routinely found in private networks. Many users who would otherwise be protective of their personal data and other information may not realize how risky it can be to connect to a public Internet access point. Hackers are not only able to access personal and private information from connected users, they can also upload worms and other malware that can then be transferred to other networks by those same users. While there are a number of basic safety precautions individuals can take to protect themselves when connected to public WiFi hotspots, research has shown that a significant percentage of users do not take any additional precautions when connecting to public Internet networks.

Purpose

My purpose is to demonstrate that public WiFI hot spots pose a serious risk to the public, and I hope to convince readers to start using appropriate safety measures. The intended audience for this project includes virtually anyone who regularly or even occasionally connects to public WiFi hotspots.

Proposed Content

This paper will be divided into several sections. The first section will provide an overview of how public WiFi connections work, their use and growth in the Gulf region, and some of the safety risks their use can cause. The second section will cover the research on the use of safety features (such as firewalls) by users who connect to public WiFi connections. This is the primary area of research. The paper will conclude with some recommendations about the steps users can take to protect themselves and others when connecting to public Internet access points.

Research Method

This paper will rely primarily on secondary sources, such as previously-published articles in academic journals and from other appropriate resources. It may also be appropriate to conduct some primary research for this project, such as the use of a survey or a similar assessment instrument. The decision to include research of this type will be made after more consideration has been given to the availability of appropriate secondary research materials.

The following sources have helped to provide some preliminary ideas and these ideas will be built on with further research.

References

Chenoweth, T., Minch, R., & Tabor, S. (2010). Wireless insecurity: examining user security behavior on public networks. Communications Of The ACM, 53(2), 134–138.

Gomzin, S. (2014). Hacking Point of Sale : Payment Application Secrets, Threats, and Solutions (1st ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Juels, A., & Oprea, A. (2013). New approaches to security and availability for cloud data. Communications Of The ACM, 56(2), 64–73.