Free wi-fi is widely available and tempting to use, especially when traveling. Hotels, airports, coffee shops, even NYC subway stations provide it.

But the dangers of public wi-fi are many-fold. Not only are they hunting grounds for hackers, but a new report from security firm FireEye claims a Russian hacker group known as APT28, or Fancy Bear, used hotel Wi-Fi networks to spy on high-value guests.

While use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) can safeguard against unsafe wi-fi networks, recent bans of VPNs by Russia and China further complicate matters.

Bob Braun with Jeffer Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, says when using any public wi-fi, you are inherently at risk.