Today, Microsoft is sharing their new operating system — Windows 10 — for free to Windows 7 users and Windows 8 users.

And, if you take them up on that offer, you will be “sharing” stuff too — like, for instance, your wifi password — with every contact you have on Skype and Outlook — and possibly Facebook. No kidding.

This new “feature” called WiFi Sense doesn’t share your password, but offers an encrypted key to allow your contacts to use your wifi when they are within range. It also means that your information is stored on Microsoft servers. Yes, it’s encrypted, but that’s just a little too invasive for the Doc’s comfort level, so he doesn’t advise using this without seriously considering the possible security dangers inherent in sharing your information.

Yes, you can turn this off, if you don’t want to allow it — but you need to be aware of it, especially if you decide to use the easier, “express” installation, which will turn this on automatically.

You have now been warned.

Encrypted or not, if another device is accessing your network, it HAS your password and a savvy hacker can use that to gain a little more information that you might be willing to share.

For more information, consult the FAQ page over on Microsoft’s page — and then do a little independent research and see what the hacker sites and the security sites have to say about it — BEFORE you open up your private network to contacts.

If you have any additional questions about this, give us a call. We are here to help — 859-755-4344.