More people borrowing wireless networks, leaving information open to cyber thieves

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Hackers are using a technique called wardriving to prey on trusting internet users. It’s as easy as driving by homes and surveying wireless networks to see if they are unencrypted.

Matt South of Gone South Computing explains the danger, “If its unencrypted, its transmitted in plain text which means not only can people steal your Internet but they can see what you're doing if they have the right tools."

According to USA Today, 32 percent of people surveyed admit to borrowing a neighbor's unencrypted Wi-Fi connection. That's nearly double the 18 percent found in a 2008 poll.

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When NBC Action News did a mock wardrive through the Southmoreland Neighborhood, we found about a third of the wireless networks we encountered were unencrypted.

Hunter Knaack runs a business there called Knaack Properties. He makes sure his internet networks are secure. He says, “I've heard of that before, like one person getting the internet connection and then other people in the building using it."

Knaack continues, “I've got our Quicken files on there, which has all of our books, has our property management files, all of our records so that would be bad."

Though, not everyone NBC Action News encountered has caught the wave of concern.

Internet user Nicholas Flynn said, “I assume that anything I put on a computer is visible to all."

David Legleiter, also an Internet user, said, “I don't have anything on there really worth taking. I guess they could get into our accounts. I don't know how hard it would be, I'm not that internet savvy."

South said it’s not hard for someone who knows how. Recently, computer experts have warned to lock down internet networks just like you would a front door.

The tools are available to do so.

 “If you went out and bought a wireless access point today, a lot of them would force you to encrypt it but maybe if you bought an older one, it would give you the option to leave it open," explained South.

He said there’s one easy way to ensure safety, “If you're on a Windows machine, when you locate your network, there should be a little padlock icon next to it."

South said taking those steps is as more important than ever as the world gains more wireless networks by the minute.