Security vendor Sophos conducted a new research concerning the Wi-Fi Internet access, revealing that no less than 54 percent of the respondents admitted they have used somebody else's connection without permission. It seems like most of the users who answered yes when questioned if they stole Internet access managed to do so by connecting to home wireless networks which are often unprotected and unencrypted. This gives anyone the opportunity to browse the web at no cost, using somebody else's bandwidth and money.

"Stealing Wi-Fi internet access may feel like a victimless crime, but it deprives ISPs of revenue. Furthermore, if you've hopped onto your next door neighbors' wireless broadband connection to illegally download movies and music from the net, chances are that you are also slowing down their internet access and impacting on their download limit," explained Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "For this reason, most ISPs put a clause in their contracts ordering users not to share access with neighbors - but it's very hard for them to enforce this."

In comparison with the homemade Wi-Fi connections, the companies are protecting their networks as everybody should do it, using special utilities and encryption methods which secure the Internet access. The survey conducted by Sophos included 560 respondents and was made between 31st of October and 6th of November 2007.

"If you're not encrypting your wireless communications then it's not hard for cybercriminals in your neighborhood to snoop on what you're doing, whether it's surfing or remotely accessing work documents. They may even be able to infect your computer with malware designed to commit identity theft. It's essential that your Wi-Fi connection is encrypted and that you have not chosen a password for your router which is easy to guess or crack," the Sophos official continued.

The Sophos security company also published a list containing the top 6 ways to protect your Wi-Fi connection, all of them being available on this link.