Free Wifi is available in coffee shops, restaurants, shopping malls, hotels, airports, libraries -you name it. Millions of people everyday use this doing everything from browsing the internet, checking emails, and just any internet related tasks.
Although, most people do not realize even though there is a password to login, free public Wi-Fi is not secure. Everyone loves public Wi-Fi, but so do hackers! If you choose to sign-in on public Wi-Fi, proper protection on your device(s) are essential!
Risks in connecting to Public WiFi:
- Man-in-the-Middle Attack:
- Data used on Public WiFi is often unencrypted and unsecure, meaning it is vulnerable to a lot of cyber attacks. A Man-in-the-Middle attack (MITM) is when a cybercriminal exposes a security flaw in the public network and gathers information in the network. Hackers can take/use the details of one’s browsing history, account logins and any online transactions made using that network.
- Rogue Hotspots:
- Another risk in using free public WiFi is that you can be connecting to a rogue hotspot. This means that there is an open hotspot that is similar to that of the legitimate hotspot, where hackers are setup to lure people into connecting to their network. They then can access one’s data and even be able to inject
malware into your connected device.
- Another risk in using free public WiFi is that you can be connecting to a rogue hotspot. This means that there is an open hotspot that is similar to that of the legitimate hotspot, where hackers are setup to lure people into connecting to their network. They then can access one’s data and even be able to inject
Wi-Fi Security Habits to practice to Stay Safe from Cyber Attacks:
- Avoid connecting to public WiFi. If you really need to we suggest you to also use a virtual private network (VPN) to secure your connection. This will make your public WiFi connection private from others on the same network. Once logged on Public WiFi, just turn on your VPN and you are good to go.
- VPN works on all devices PCs, Macs, IPhones, Android and tablets.
- It is very simple and free! Our employees use VPN services such as ProtonVPN, which is free, NordVPN, Private Internet Access, Norton Secure VPN, or AvastVPN .
- DO NOT login to password-protected websites for they contain sensitive information that can be used maliciously.
- Examples of sites: Online Banking, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even email.
- Make sure all softwares are up to date on all your mobile devices, this includes your smartphones.
- Another suggestion instead of connecting to public WiFi, is to use your phone’s hotspot tethering capabilities. For further instructions to use this feature, contact us
- And overall be mindful of which networks you are connecting to, be sure it is not a fake hotspot similar to the legitimate one.
If you’d like some help protecting yourself from these kinds of attacks, feel free to CONTACT US to see how we can help.
