A new report details serious security flaws in these increasingly popular setups.
Wireless communication has an inherent security problem.
While nearly all data sent over wired networks is unencrypted and available to eavesdroppers, they face the serious challenge of physically tapping the wire. But to eavesdrop on wireless networks, all you need is the right kind of radio. The range of the widely used 802.11b, or WiFi, standard is broad enough that it's often easy to pluck signals from the air from outside a home or office building. The appropriate response should be concern but not panic. In particular, any really sensitive data sent across wireless networks should be protected with an additional layer of encryption.