ADHOC

Connecting to an unsecured ad hoc WiFi network is an excellent way to expose all of your sensitive traffic to the bad guys. Here's one example:

Well, that article is a rather alarmist and probably wrong. It's not hackers, evil demonic technologists (like me), man in the middle attack, or a government plot. It's a lame Microsoft bug that still hasn't been fixed. See:

When I go to Circuit City, Fry's, or any large box store that has a mess of operating laptops, the number of "Free Public WiFi" SSID's showing on my PDA are epidemic.

However, the advise offered in the article for securing your laptop is good advise. Set wireless zero config to only connect to access points and be done with the problem.