Is cellular broadband more secure than WiFi?

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Summary: Cellular is a popular internet connection alternative. As with any connection it's important to understand the security ramifications and tradeoffs.

I recently upgraded to a Blackberry with "National Broadband Access". I can now connect my Blackberry to my laptop and get internet access almost anywhere. The salesperson said it will be more secure to use, even in places that offer WiFi. Is it more secure?

Yes.

That's not to say that there aren't risks (and even costs) involved, but by-and-large, data connectivity through the cellular network is, as a practical matter, more secure than open WiFi.

In part, though, that's really a reflection of just how insecure open WiFi really is.

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The difference, from a security point of view, is simply this: anyone with a WiFi enabled computer has what they need to be a hacker. There's no special equipment needed, and the software required is free, open source and easily available for download. It's even above board, as there are many legitimate uses for this kind of sniffing software.

The result is that anyone can use almost any laptop to sit in a corner of an open WiFi hotspot and sniff the traffic.

With cellular based systems such as that used with your Blackberry, the situation isn't nearly as simple. The biggest obstacle is that you need additional special equipment to start sniffing. You'll also need to be able to decrypt the data as it is encrypted.

Now, neither of those are particularly difficult. I'm sure that the hardware needed is available on the internet (isn't everything?). The encryption isn't particularly secure either, having been developed many years ago when cellular phones didn't have the computational horsepower necessary for today's more secure alternatives.

In other words, it takes some extra steps and expenses to start hacking the cellular network, but it's possible.

However, given the ubiquity of open WiFi, the fact that you don't need special equipment, and the general lack of security employed by most people sitting in that hotspot, the open WiFi scenario is simply a much, much bigger and easier target to go after.

Now if you, specifically, are being targeted - say as part of some corporate espionage - perhaps it becomes worth it for the hacker to invest in that additional technology. But if you're just an average user, cellular, coupled with a firewall and generally good internet behavior on your part, gets you all the security you typically need.

I mentioned costs above, and there are several tradeoffs to be aware of.

• You're paying extra, monthly, for that data plan on your Blackberry. You could, instead, pay extra, perhaps even less, to a service such as HotSpotVPN to be secure in those open WiFi hotspots. This would actually be more secure than either WiFi alone or cellular, and you could even use the service over your cellular connection should you feel the need. (If you're sufficiently geeky, there are also free alternatives that are typically more cumbersome to set up and use.)

• You may pay a price in speed. My experience is that cellular broadband is almost always slower than WiFi. Granted, that really depends a lot on where you are with cellular and what your provider provides, as well as how big an internet connection that WiFi access point is connected to and how many other people are using it while you do. But as I said, in my experience speed tends to favor the WiFi alternatives.

• You may pay a price in location. With WiFi you need to locate a hotspot. Yep, it seems like they're everywhere, and more are appearing every day. With cellular, however, as long as you're in range of a cell tower, you have connectivity.

And on a final note, lest you think that plugging into a wall socket for hardwired ethernet connectivity, let me remind you that Wired connections can also be as dangerous as wifi. Often overlooked, wired connections, particularly in hotels, share almost all the risks of open Wifi hotspots.

Related:

• Ask Leo! - WiFi Everywhere

• Ask Leo! - Can hotels sniff my internet traffic?

• Ask Leo! - Internet Safety: How do I keep my computer safe on the internet?

Article 12353 | Posted April 13, 2008