RSW 4th most vulnerable airport for cyber attacks in the country, study shows

Around 1 million people travel through Southwest Florida International Airport every month.

According to a new study by Coronet, a cybersecurity company, a quarter of the travelers at RSW could be logging into a medium to high risk network.

Giovanny Troche, owner of Genius Computer, says he sees it all the time at his store.

“We’re more vulnerable here because even though we have the latest technology, in the background, we’re still outdated.” Troche said. “That’s why we’ve become more vulnerable to malware, adware.”

The new study ranks RSW as one of the worst airports nationwide, where anyone can get cyberattacked by joining the public Wi-Fi. RSW is No. 4 on the list.

“The best thing you can do is not use it,” Troche said.

Troche says it is important to always be aware of the dangers when logging into any public Wi-Fi network.

“Stay away from sensitive places with sensitive information,” Troche said.

RSW spokeswoman Vicki Moreland says the study is wrong, and RSW does its best to protect its travelers.

“RSW does continual assessments of our systems and does not skimp or skip security,” Moreland said in a statement.

RSW does recommend not sharing passwords or protected information over any public Wi-Fi.

Troche agrees, and adds that there is a time and place to check those important apps or sites, just not while using public Wi-Fi.

“When you’re (using) public Wi-Fi, that isn’t the time to check your bank account, or get into your business portal to do all your business,” Troche said. “It’s the time to surf.”

Troche says if you have to use the internet services in public places, like an airport, use the data on your phones or download VPN, virtual private network, software that encrypts your information.

The Tampa and Miami airports ranked among the least vulnerable public Wi-Fi networks.

Below is Moreland’s complete statement:

“[I] can tell you we have an up-to-date next generation firewall to protect our network and our customers (employees and travelers). We are not aware of this company, which is selling a product so we can not give you insight into their methodology or purpose. RSW does continual assessments of our systems and does not skimp or skip security. Travelers should always take simple precautions like not sharing passwords or protected information on public Wifi whether in an airport, hotel,restaurant or any place where it is offered. We have that information on our site when you connect to Wifi at RSW.”

To see the full list, click the document below:

Americas_Most_Insecure_Airports1