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\nWe’ve all grown used to being able to connect with public Wi-Fi, but what are the dangers of this connectivity? Check out things you should never do when using public Wi-Fi.\n
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Let\u2019s start with the basics\u2014connecting at all. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge security risk to connect to and use an open Wi-Fi network,\u201d says Weiqing Sun, PhD, cybersecurity expert and associate professor of computer science and engineering technology at The University of Toledo College of Engineering. \u201cWhat\u2019s worse is that the users are not aware when the public Wi-Fi network is already connected and being used.\u201d\n
That\u2019s because most phones connect automatically. But that opens you up to hackers and scammers everywhere you go. Instead, Sun says users should check their device settings and disable automatic connections.\n
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So you\u2019ve disabled your automatic connections, but you still need to occasional public Wi-Fi access. Be careful about which networks you choose to connect to. \u201cAttackers can set up phony Wi-Fi hotspots to lure users to connect to and use them, and then steal data passing through the network, which is under their control,\u201d Sun says. He explains an attacker may set up a Wi-Fi network named Starbucks-guest-wifi-1, for instance, knowing users will assume it\u2019s safe. \u201cWe should always use caution and verify the trustworthiness before using a public Wi-Fi network.\u201d\n
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Don\u2019t perform financial or other sensitive transactions, including banking or filing taxes on public Wi-Fi networks, says Alan Brill, a senior managing director with Kroll\u2019s Cyber Risk practice. \u201cAn attacker may capture your online bank\u2019s credentials or credit card information.\u201d\n
He says \u201cthe two biggest threats to using public Wi-Fi are hackers who are able to set up \u2018man-in-the-middle\u2019 attacks and intercept all your activity on that network, combined with the inherent lack of privacy posed by unsecured connections.\u201d\n
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Wi-Fi users should \u201cavoid using any site that requires you to log in with your username or password. You risk exposing those log-in credentials to strangers,\u201d reminds Brian Lapidus, practice leader in Kroll\u2019s Identity Theft and Breach Notification practice. You might think you\u2019re safe on sites that encrypt your password, but Lapidus explains that \u201chackers on public Wi-Fi can \u2018listen in\u2019 and capture credentials before they\u2019re encrypted.\u201d\n
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Look, we all love a good deal\u2014but maybe wait until you\u2019re home to take advantage of any you find online. Business growth strategist Lance Thompson says, \u201cWhen you check out and pay for your purchases, your confidential information, including your contact info, credit card info, and user names and passwords are all sent over the Internet.\u201d He explains that even on secure websites, \u201ca hacker could have installed keylogging software in the Wi-Fi network that will capture your private data and then use that data for identity theft or to make purchases using your credit card.\u201d\n
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One of the beautiful things about all this connectivity is being able to deal with just about any work crisis within seconds, no matter where you are. But not so fast! \u201cAvoid connecting to work services like business email, customer relationship management tools, and accounting software,\u201d Brill explains. \u201cAn attacker armed with such credentials can cause millions of dollars of damage to you or your company.\u201d\n
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We\u2019ve already covered staying away from work email, but you probably have some things you\u2019d like to keep private in your personal email as well. Technology expert Burton Kelso of Integral Computer Consultants says criminals have the ability to snoop in on your keystrokes when you\u2019re using public Wi-Fi, which means they can gain access to your web-based email accounts if you log in while they\u2019re watching. \u201cMost people use their email as a personal filing cabinet with tons of information that can be exploited against you,\u201d he explains.\n
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This may seem like a no-brainer, but you\u2019d be surprised how many people browse without paying attention to the web addresses they\u2019re on. Lapidus says you need to, though. \u201cAvoid unencrypted websites,\u201d he explains. \u201cUse only those that use HTTPS.\u201d Without that, everything you do can be transmitted in plain text.\n
The good news is your phone will probably try to warn you if you drift into a site you shouldn\u2019t. \u201cMost modern browsers identify HTTPS-protected websites with a lock icon in the address bar. That\u2019s your indication that the site is using encryption to protect your communication.\u201d\n
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Look, what you do on your personal web-browsing time is your business, unless that is, you do it on a public network. Then you should always assume someone else may be looking over your shoulder. For this reason, Brill says you should stay away from browsing anything you might be embarrassed about if discovered. \u201cDo not visit private or \u2018sensitive\u2019 sites or watch \u2019embarrassing\u2019 videos,\u201d he advises. \u201cRemember that not only may your activity be intercepted, but the Wi-Fi provider may keep records of the sites you visit.\u201d\n
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Don\u2019t do it. Don\u2019t even think about doing it. \u201cTurn off automatic file sharing on your laptop,\u201d says Lapidus. \u201cYour phone or computer shouldn\u2019t be visible to others to link to and transfer files. You might like to think of yourself as being popular, but if someone transfers a malware-infected file you\u2019ll just be a popular victim.\u201d\n
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Protecting yourself isn\u2019t just about what hackers can see when you\u2019re online, it\u2019s also about they might see walking right past you. \u201cWhile we surf or work in public locations, it wouldn\u2019t be hard for others to look over our shoulders and watch you enter your user names, passwords, read your emails, view the sites you visit and more,\u201d says Thompson, encouraging users to always ensure their back isn\u2019t to anyone when they\u2019re surfing online. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t let someone watch you enter your PIN number at the ATM, right?\u201d This is the same thing\u2026\n
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\u201cWhile not directly related to Wi-Fi security, vulnerabilities in your favourite apps or browsers are frequently used by hackers to steal information,\u201d Lapidus explains. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to make sure all your apps are up to date, as those updates often contain security patches meant to protect you from those invasions. You can even set up automatic app updates in most operating systems so that those updates happen seamlessly as soon as they\u2019re available.\n
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One of the main things people do with their phones while out and about is check their social media networks. But even that\u2019s a mistake, according to Paige Hanson, chief of identity education at Norton LifeLock. \u201cEven if you\u2019re simply logging in to check your Facebook account, cybercriminals can intercept your username and password, and use that to try and access other accounts,\u201d she says.\n
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If you\u2019re going to use the Internet from public Wi-Fi locations, all our experts agreed you need a Virtual Private Network (VPN). \u201cA VPN will encrypt all your data, making it incomprehensible for attackers,\u201d says Lapidus. \u201cBut make sure you check out any VPN provider you plan to use to make sure they\u2019re reliable.\u201d\n
Even with a VPN, Brill advises users to \u201cbe mindful of \u2018clever\u2019 social engineering tactics. An attacker armed with basic information they captured by intercepting your online activity or even from your social media profiles may call over the phone and use the information they\u2019ve stolen to convince you that you need to give them more information or send them money.\u201d\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We’ve all grown used to being able to connect with public Wi-Fi, but what are the dangers of this connectivity? Check out things you should never do when using public Wi-Fi. 1. Connecting automatically Let\u2019s start with the basics\u2014connecting at all. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge security risk to connect to and use an open Wi-Fi network,\u201d …\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17531,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[46,6,31,32],"class_list":["post-17530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tie-life-style","tag-life-hacks","tag-life-style","tag-tips","tag-tricks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}