{"id":66992,"date":"2016-12-13T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2016-12-13T14:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=66992"},"modified":"2025-08-14T07:42:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T14:42:11","slug":"risky-holiday-wifi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/risky-holiday-wifi\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopaholics: Beware of Risky Wi-Fi"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the days grow shorter and twinkly lights pop up on houses lining the block, one thing is clear: the holidays are here! \u2018Tis the season for family outings and gift exchanges, which means spending hours at the mall, searching for perfect presents for loved ones (or sometimes, ourselves!). Cybercriminals also love this time of year, but not for the parties and peppermint mochas.<\/p>\n

Today, mall Wi-Fi is almost a guarantee, with much of the public depending on their mobile phone for everything from coupons to paying for items. With all of this connecting, the holidays are becoming an especially vulnerable time for shoppers. As hard as it is to resist logging on to a free network to avoid a day\u2019s worth of data charges, it\u2019s possible that the \u201cfree\u201d network you\u2019re logging onto isn\u2019t so free after all. Hackers often set up fake networks<\/a> to lure shoppers, and monitor the hotspots for account numbers and other personal information that they eventually grab and use for their benefit. While you\u2019re staying cautious about the connections you make, it\u2019s also important to be aware of the retail apps you download to your phone.<\/p>\n

During a long day of shopping, there is one pit stop that I always make: coffee. Many popular coffee shops offer rewards programs through dedicated apps, but whether you\u2019re loyal to Starbucks or more of a Dunkin\u2019 Donuts fan, it\u2019s important to be cautious about the apps that you\u2019re downloading on your mobile device. Cybercriminals have begun<\/a> to repackage popular mobile apps, such as the Starbucks app, into versions that are almost identical, but with small lines of malicious code hidden in them. It\u2019s tough to identify these repackaged apps from the ones that you trust, but fall for their trickery and hackers could be stealing your information after infiltrating your mobile device.<\/p>\n

How to Avoid Falling Victim to Mobile Hacks<\/h2>\n

So, what are the best ways to avoid falling victim to a mobile hack during the holidays?<\/p>\n