Hotel Internet Connections: not as Safe as Travelers Think

Everyday people flock to hotels by the thousands for family vacations, weekend getaways, or business trips. There are certainly many different reasons to travel, but with the modern tech-era upon us one of the most frequently asked questions when booking a hotel is: "Do you have Internet?" That answer is most likely a, "yes." As they settle in and get comfortable, hotel guests all over the world use the hotel’s Internet connection for various reasons. What most people fail to notice is that Internet privacy and security in the hotel industry is well below par. A guest expects their hotel to be a home away from home and Internet access allows guests to be more productive during their trip and stay in touch with the rest of the world. In reality, just how safe is that Internet connection?

According to researchers many of the Internet connections are not safe at all. Most of the Internet connections a guest comes across are not properly secured and leave them at risk for a number of privacy risks. Researchers gathered written information from various hotels and personally visited other properties and the findings were quite astounding. Roughly 20% of all hotels used simple network hubs to connect guests to the Internet. This means 20% of the hotels you have ever stayed at are allowing you to connect to an unsecured network where all the packets of data being sent over the network can be seen. Anyone else on that network can access your personal data via the network connection. Ideally, hotels should have security features implemented so only the packets associated with your session should be seen. No other users should have access to the data. This would stop an "interloper" from using a program that saves all packets being sent over the network.

Of the hotels that do offer Internet access, 90% of them allow guests to connect wirelessly. This adds an extra layer of protection since they have to use a router to get the signal out. While this is an advanced security measure, it still does not mean the user’s personal information is being protected. Man-in-the-middle attacks are still possible, and almost 21% of hotels have reported attacks and malicious activity on their systems. Man-in-the-middle attacks allow an attacker’s computer to act as an Internet gateway and intercept all network traffic. Very few hotels using wireless Internet use encryption methods on their network. Researchers found only six properties, out of 39, thought of going above and beyond their Linksys router and securing their network! Anyone using a hotel's Internet connection should assume the worst and hope for the best.

Alternatively, a hotel guest should secure their own network connection. This will take away the mystery of wondering whether the hotel has a secured connection. An anonymous private proxy server is arguably the best way to maintain Internet privacy and online safety. A proxy will secure the Internet connection by encrypting the data being transmitted over the network. The encrypted information remains that way until it reaches its destination, which holds the code to decrypt the message. Aside from packet sniffing, it is possible for someone to track web surfing habits and gain personal information, even on a secured connection. A proxy will prevent this by masking the IP address allowing the user to safely surf from any connection and maintain complete anonymity. A hotel guest has the ability to stay connected with friends, family, and coworkers, even from thousands of miles away, but many fail to see that Internet security should be dealt with preemptively. It is not a matter of being protected by some other entity, but going above and beyond the bare minimum on your own accord to stay safe.