People need to be more aware of wireless networks and their safety, according to a new survey.

Over four million Brits have hijacked wireless networks in last 12 months, according to the moneysupermarket.com research.

Broadband manager at the company James Parker said that the consequences of hijacking internet connections can be "severe, particularly if an individual uses the connection for improper or criminal activity".

He said that around one in six people - 15 per cent of respondents - do not feel guilty about using someone else's Wi-Fi without them knowing because it their fault for leaving it open.

However, Mr Parker said that many people could unwittingly receive a huge bill on their doorstep for going over their proposed download cap after other people also get in on their action.

"More and more providers offer routers with broadband packages and the range of the signal is increasing," he concluded. "People need to be aware just how important protection is and the best way to go about it."

In its evaluations of the digital medium, moneysupermarket.com looks into trends of 21 broadband providers and 11 mobile providers.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent).