How free Wi-Fi can put you at risk

By Analisa Nazareno, CreditCards.com

Private data, including credit card numbers, can go public quickly from your corner coffee shop. Here's what you need to know to stay safe.

If you use a free Wi-Fi connection in an airport, cafe, hotel or some other public space, you may be taking a big risk with your credit card information and other important data. But the good news is there are steps you can take to secure your information.

About one in five people who surf the Internet have used free, public wireless Internet connections (or Wi-Fi), according to JiWire, a San Francisco company that directs advertising toward Wi-Fi users. In doing so, those Wi-Fi users were taking a chance -- whether they realized it or not -- that their computers wouldn't be hacked and their identities stolen by another person sharing the same connection. Experts say that's because anything you do while you're on a public connection is less secure than when you're logged in at your home or office.

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