As of 2025, more than 5 million unsecured Wi-Fi networks are active worldwide. Schools, hotels, small businesses, and even enterprise guest networks continue to rely on open or shared-password Wi-Fi. Organizations often assume their guest or open Wi‑Fi is fully isolated from the central network systems. Still, misconfigurations, shared services, or weak segmentation can turn it into a direct pathway for attackers. In reality, these networks are a hacker’s easiest entry point. Unsecured Wi-Fi networks are a hub for eavesdropping, credential theft, and even deeper access into sensitive applications and data.
Are Unsecured Wi-fi Networks Safe?
No network is inherently safe. However, unsecured Wi-Fi networks carry a higher risk. These networks can be used for casual browsing or streaming, and those behaviors often have a far lesser risk. However, logging into corporate systems, transmitting credentials, or accessing sensitive data over an unencrypted connection that lacks identity-based authentication carries a much higher risk on an unsecured Wi-Fi network. Without identity-based controls, attackers can blend in as “legitimate” users to intercept traffic, impersonate infrastructure, or redirect users to phishing sites. Man-in-the-Middle attacks are prevalent on open networks, where an attacker can silently relay or alter communications.
Open networks don’t encrypt traffic at all, so any data sent over insecure apps or websites (think HTTP) can be captured in transit. Even when encryption is present, users often assume a false sense of security, unaware that poorly configured apps or services may still leak credentials or session tokens.
Pre-Shared Key (PSK) and password-based networks are becoming increasingly vulnerable to security threats. While they encrypt traffic, every device on the network uses the same key, allowing any user with the password to decrypt the communications of others. PSK leaves organizations vulnerable to eavesdropping, session hijacking, MITM, phishing, and brute-force attacks.
What’s the Risk of Open or Shared-Password Wi-Fi?
Organizations often rely on open or shared-password Wi-Fi for guest and BYOD access, assuming that keeping these networks separate from production systems makes them safe enough. In reality, open and PSK-based networks are prime targets for attackers, making it easy to intercept traffic, steal credentials, and exploit connected devices. What starts as a guest network becomes a launchpad for MITM attacks like:
Eavesdropping
Eavesdropping, whether passive sniffing or active Evil Twin attacks, is a common entry point for broader MITM tactics like ARP spoofing and DNS manipulation. Once traffic visibility is achieved, attackers can redirect users, harvest credentials, or inject malicious content.
It serves as the first stage of a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack. Once attackers gain visibility into network traffic, they can manipulate it through ARP spoofing, DNS spoofing, or Evil Twin attacks. This enables credential theft, redirection to malicious sites, or injection of harmful payloads, turning a simple open connection into a real-time compromise of sensitive data.
Session Hijacking
Session hijacking happens when attackers gain access to a user’s session token, often by sniffing unencrypted traffic or injecting malicious code. Once they capture that token, they can impersonate the user and access protected resources. Standard techniques for session hijacking include:
- Packet Sniffing: Intercepting data packets as they travel across the network. If traffic is unencrypted, attackers can extract sensitive information in transit, like login credentials, session tokens, emails, or payment details, gaining visibility into a user’s activity without their knowledge.
- XSS Attacks (Cross-Site Scripting): Exploit vulnerabilities in web applications to inject malicious scripts into a user’s browser. Once executed, these scripts can steal session cookies, capture keystrokes, or impersonate the user, giving the attacker full access to the session and any associated data.
Rogue Access Point & DNS Spoofing
Rogue Access Points exploit the fact that wireless devices automatically connect to the strongest available signal. Attackers can set up malicious access points, tricking devices into joining their network. Once connected, the attacker can manipulate the victim’s session and intercept data.
- Easy setup: Only proximity is required. No advanced tools or credentials are needed.
- Session manipulation: Once connected, attackers can monitor, alter, or hijack sessions.
DNS Spoofing is another common technique used to mislead users. The Domain Name System (DNS) serves as the Internet’s index, directing users to websites. In a spoofing attack, attackers redirect victims to fake websites that look legitimate, tricking them into entering sensitive information.
Hackers trick victims into unknowingly submitting their credentials to malicious sites. Using HTTPS with TLS encryption helps protect server identity and makes basic spoofing attempts far less effective. However, advanced attackers can still bypass these defenses by using visually deceptive non-ASCII characters (such as those found in Turkish or Cyrillic), creating fraudulent domains that appear identical to legitimate ones.
Man-In-The-Browser Attacks
Unsecured Wi‑Fi networks often serve as the entry point for malware. Attackers can inject malicious code or trick users into downloading infected payloads over an open network. Once the Trojan is installed, it doesn’t matter whether the device is later connected to a secure network—the attacker can still monitor and manipulate browser activity.
| Attack Type | How Are They Carried Out |
| Rogue Access Point | Attackers create fake Wi-fi hotspots, tricking devices into connecting and exposing traffic. |
| DNS Spoofing | Redirects victims to fraudulent websites that mimic legitimate domains for credential theft or malware delivery. |
| Man-in-the-Browser | Trojan malware hijacks browser sessions, allowing attackers to monitor and manipulate web communications. |
| Session Hijacking | Steals session IDs or tokens, granting unauthorized access to user accounts. |
| Packet Sniffing | Passively captures unencrypted traffic to gather sensitive data such as passwords or financial information. |
Real-Time Consequences of Unsecured Wi-fi Networks
During a penetration test conducted by CCL Solutions Group, a consultant discovered Active Directory credentials via reconnaissance on the guest VLAN and used them to escalate privileges, ultimately compromising domain-level systems. The reason they were able to was a misconfigured guest wireless network, lacking proper VLAN segmentation and client isolation. With local administrator access, the consultant was able to dump cached credentials in plain text and conduct additional Active Directory password spraying attacks. This led to the compromise of two domain administrator service accounts, granting complete control over the domain environment.
The hospitality sector has historically been a vulnerable target. Attackers infiltrated hotel Wi‑Fi networks that corporate and diplomatic guests frequently used. Once inside the network, they utilized tools likeResponder to harvest credentials and leveraged the EternalBlue exploit, which exploits a flaw in the way Windows handles Server Message Block network traffic. This allows an attacker to send specially crafted packets and execute code remotely on the target system without authentication.. Then, they were able to move laterally through the hotel’s network infrastructure, compromising guest devices and accessing sensitive data.
Why Are Organizations Still Using Open or PSK Networks?
Many organizations treat securing guest and BYOD networks as low-priority, operating under the perception that “it’s just for guests.” This thought is the result of a very real trade‑off. Security leaders are constantly forced to balance robust network controls with the demand for quick, frictionless access for visitors, contractors, and personal devices.
Password-based or open Wi-Fi exposes your network to credential theft, man-in-the-middle attacks, and even lateral movement into sensitive systems if segmentation fails. Guest and BYOD networks are often the weakest link in a network.
The answer isn’t blaming users for choosing convenience. It’s building solutions that deliver both. Modern certificate-based onboarding enables WPA2/WPA3‑Enterprise with EAP-TLS, providing encrypted, identity-bound access without the headaches of manual configuration, making the security easier.
How Can Organizations Secure Guest & BYOD Access?
Shifting from passwords to digital certificates provisions each user and device with unique, cryptographically verifiable credentials. Along with WPA2/WPA3‑Enterprise using EAP-TLS, all traffic between devices and the access point is encrypted using asymmetric cryptography.
However, every guest, like a temporary visitor or conference attendee, won’t exist in your organization’s identity provider, making certificate enrollment impractical. That’s where alternative, secure onboarding methods come in.
We offer a guest credential system that issues short-lived, identity-bound usernames or email-based access for external users. For BYODs, where employees need personal device access without certificates, our MultiOS solution enables secure browser‑based authentication with Cloud IDPs, balancing security with ease of use.
What Is the Safest Way to Onboard Wi-Fi Users?
The safest way to onboard Wi‑Fi users to a network is through an onboarding portal. It should provide user-friendly setup pages that guide users through a quick and secure enrollment process. Behind the scenes, the portal automatically configures WPA2‑Enterprise profiles and installs unique digital certificates, ensuring every connection is authenticated and encrypted.
SecureW2’s onboarding solution is device-agnostic, working seamlessly across laptops, smartphones, tablets, and unmanaged BYOD devices without requiring MDM enrollment or IT intervention. This zero‑touch approach reduces support tickets and ensures that employee, student, faculty, and contractor devices connect securely and reliably.
SecureW2 Makes BYOD and Guest Wi‑Fi Safe, Simple, and Password‑Free
Securing your Wi‑Fi doesn’t have to be complicated. SecureW2s JoinNow MultiOS automates the configuration of WPA2/WPA3 Enterprise networks using EAP-TLS. Every BYOD device is provisioned with a unique certificate for strong security, eliminating the need for MDM enrollment. Administrators gain real‑time visibility into connected users and devices, enabling continuous monitoring, auditing, and rapid threat detection to protect network integrity.
SecureW2’s Guest Wi-Fi solution issues temporary, identity‑bound credentials that verify guest identities and provisions them with short‑lived certificates or access tokens. It enables time-limited and role-based access, allowing users to receive only the necessary permissions for a defined period. Connections are fully encrypted using WPA2/WPA3‑Enterprise with EAP-TLS, protecting against eavesdropping and credential theft.
Click here to explore guest and BYOD onboarding solutions for your organization.
Anusha Harish