When I bought my laptop at the end of last year, I was amazed at how easy it was to connect to the Internet through various free wireless hotspots. Whether it was a signal from a hotel across the street, a local coffee shop or some other outlet, it felt like the whole world was open to me and my laptop.

Apparently, I had it wrong. Using those WiFi hotspots actually opened up me and my computer to the whole world, according to this WSJ story about people who prey on WiFi hotspot users.

Just the first three graphs in the story were enough to convince me that it might be a bad idea:

Next time you are sitting in a hotel lobby checking email on your laptop, be careful: The "businessman" in the next lounge chair may be tracking your every move.

Many Wi-Fi users don't know that hackers posted at hot spots can steal personal information out of the air relatively easily. And savvy criminal hackers aren't settling for just access to credit cards, bank accounts and other personal financial information; they love to sneak into your company's network, too.

Whether you're using a Wi-Fi hot spot at a hotel, airport or cafe, "you've got to assume that anything you are doing is being monitored," says Shawn Henry, deputy assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's cybercrimes division.

I should have gone with my paranoid and pessimistic instincts about free WiFi. Nothing in life is ever free. There's always a price you have to pay whether it's actual money or peace of mind. I'd rather fork over a little more money for more security.

This is not to say you shouldn't use those WiFi hotspots at all. Just don't do anything really anything really important -- like banking -- while using a hotspot or you could find yourself in the hot seat.