By Rachel Robb and Theron Harmon
You've settled into your window seat on the plane, ready to work on the big presentation or enjoy a movie on your phone or laptop. Without thinking too much about it, you connect to the airplane Wi-Fi. But have you ever paused to consider how secure this connection is?
The Cost of “Free”
Recently, we dug into the fine print associated with “free” airline Wi-Fi. We were shocked by what we found: pages and pages of third-party trackers and vendors—literally hundreds on an overseas flight—each requesting access to your personal data before you can even get online.
These permissions aren’t just about providing you with a connection. They’re about gaining insight into your habits, preferences, and movements. Airlines are providing “free” Wi-Fi and turning it into a big revenue and profit center by building a backdoor to your data. Many of these trackers share your data with even more third-party entities, building a profile of who you are and where you go. These trackers can persist long after the flight has landed, and you're done using the public Wi-Fi on the airplane for a few hours.
These trackers may monitor when you open an app or log in to a website. Your digital footprint is being monitored, stored, and potentially sold without your knowledge. Once again, this is surveillance capitalism run amok.
What a trade?! Giving consent to 128 Vendors to access data to get airplane Wi-Fi.
"Please share my profile with 98 advertisers."
Even when you pay for Wi-Fi on an airplane, you shouldn’t assume that it is a secure connection.
How does Airplane Wi-Fi Work?
Planes connect to Wi-Fi through two methods:
- Land-based connections: Airplanes use cell towers to provide Wi-Fi access via an antenna underneath the aircraft.
- Satellite connections: For flights over oceans, planes rely on satellites, with an antenna on top of the aircraft enabling connectivity.
Other Potential Risks
In Australia, a government agency, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), issued a warning after charging a man with setting up fake Wi-Fi networks on airplanes to steal personal information from passengers. These fraudulent hotspots mimicked legitimate airline Wi-Fi networks, tricking unsuspecting travelers into connecting. Once connected, passengers were directed to a fake login page prompting them to enter email or social media credentials. According to the AFP, the man allegedly stored these details, which could then be used to access sensitive information such as online communications, photos, or even bank accounts.
This type of cyberattack, known as an "evil twin" Wi-Fi scam, relies on creating a network name that closely resembles a trusted one. In all types of locations where public Wi-Fi is offered, it might mimic a coffee shop, business name, airport or hotel. While in the air, it could incorporate the airline’s name.
Get Shielded With Unplugged
Avoiding airplane Wi-Fi may be the best way to stay 100% secure, but many find the opportunity to use their flight time for productive or leisure activities to be simply too attractive. Knowing your risks already hardens you as a target, and the UP Phone from Unplugged is built to give you tools to thwart the third-party trackers and monitoring and to shield you from criminals
When it comes to the trackers, this is exactly the type of invasive data collection Unplugged is here to challenge. The Privacy Center on your UP Phone blocks most of the thousands of hidden trackers from creeping in through your apps, website visits or other connections, and it does all of this at the operating system level. We are constantly updating our tracker and threat library and flowing that into updates of the UP Antivirus. We just release our reimagined UP Antivirus 2.0. Our goal at Unplugged is to provide a platform where privacy is the default setting, not an afterthought.
Privacy Center protects you.
We strongly encourage our customers (and everyone else too) to use a VPN (UP VPN makes an excellent choice) when you are using in-flight Wi-Fi. This provides an added layer of protection. Word to the wise: Wi-Fi on airplanes can be very intermittent, and this means your VPN connection can drop when the signal cuts in and out. If you lose Wi-Fi temporarily, make sure to check that your VPN remains connected.
Here are few more tips to make using your device during air travel safer:
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Learn the official Wi-Fi name and login page for the airline before entering your details.
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Avoid using direct USB type charging outlets in the passenger seatbacks. These can be compromised or modified and suck in your data.
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Standard electrical outlets are safer when provided. On the UP Phone, you can turn off the data transfer capabilities of your USB-C connection and make it "charging only."
- Don’t share or enter login details for any other sensitive service you use.
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Avoid banking and financial apps or any other mission critical app while flying.
Using technology while flying or traveling doesn't need to be anxiety inducing. Just know your risks, and know how to project against them.
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