A news article in the New York Post provides a cautionary tale of one of the many reasons properly securing home wireless networks is more than just a good idea. While the story is interesting and makes for good press, it merely scratches the surface of why companies and individuals need to pay a lot more attention to the security of home wireless networks.

While unauthorized use of an individual’s Wi-Fi network to commit serious crimes can put innocent people in the crosshairs of criminal investigations, the implications for the protection of corporate data are significant as well.  If an attacker gains access to a person’s wireless network, corporate systems (i.e corporate-owned laptops and/or desktops) connected to that network can be easy points of compromise and data loss.