WiFi Sense is meant to be a quick and convenient way to connect to “Crowd sourced” WiFi networks…which might or might not be so good since “secure” rarely means the same as “quick and convenient”.

Crowd sourced? Well, MS has a huge database of open hotspots, about a million, from consenting MS users as they logged onto these hotspots.

“When Wi-Fi Sense is enabled, it searches for open hotspots. Upon finding one, Wi-Fi Sense will check the hotspot's beacon information against the database. If information about the hotspot is located, Wi-Fi Sense will send the required information automatically, removing the need for user intervention.” – TechRepublic

Well, open WiFi nets aren’t necessarily secure, even if they were when the database was developed. What makes this really not good is that the connection is made by default (to make it “easy”) instead of requiring a choice to opt in and connect or not with the appropriate warning.

"When you share Wi-Fi network access with Facebook friends, Outlook.com contacts, or Skype contacts, they'll be connected to password-protected Wi-Fi networks you choose to share and get internet access when they're in range of the networks." – MS

So…while you don’t see the password, it must be one that’s stored somewhere…and who says that’s secure, or for how long it will be?

"For networks you choose to share access to, the password is sent over an encrypted connection and stored in an encrypted file on a Microsoft server, and then sent over a secure connection to your contacts' device if they use Wi-Fi Sense and they're in range of the Wi-Fi network you shared. Your contacts do not see your password, and you do not see theirs."- ibid

So…you want to share passwords with people you don’t know all that well? Because it could be shared on Outlook.com, Skype and/or facebook. Once that is established, that person could (theoretically) park him/herself near your home, and connect to your wireless network with rights you gave them (albeit inadvertently).

There is a way to “opt out”: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/how-to/wp8/connectivity/how-do-i-opt-my-network-out-of-wi-fi-sense

Anyway, just to make you folks aware…

Source:

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/windows-10s-wi-fi-sense-draws-security-concerns-and-questions/?tag=nl.e101&s_cid=e101&ttag=e101&ftag=TRE684d531