Protect yourself when using public WIFI.

Free public WiFi is available and heavily used in shopping malls, airports, restaurants, coffee shops, libraries, public transport, hotel rooms – you name it. According to a recent survey by ITRC, three out of four respondents said they use free public WiFi.

However, what most people don’t realize is that free public WiFi isn’t secure. Even if it requires a password to login, that doesn’t necessarily mean your online activities are safe. You might love public WiFi, but so do hackers! So, if you use public WiFi without adequate protection, you’re essentially risking your online identity and money.

How Hackers Can Use Public WiFi to Steal Your Identity

There are two main types of attacks through which cyber-criminals can use shared public WiFi to gain access to your personal information and steal your identity.

1. Hackers on the Same Network

A hackers’ ultimate objective is to get connected to a network where multiple users are already connected, making public WiFi networks excellent targets. Once he gains entry into such a network, he can deploy his tactics to take control of all the data and communications taking over this network.

One of the most common techniques hackers use to intercept data of people on the same network is known as Man in the middle (MITM). This is where cyber-criminals intercept communications between clients (or users of public WiFi) and the public WiFi router. Consequently, they’re able to capture and view all of the incoming and outgoing data.

Another risk to being on the same network as the hacker is the ability to file share. If you have file-sharing enabled while you’re on the network, the hacker can send you files infected with malware.

2. Hackers Who Create a Fake WiFi Hot-spot

This is another technique to trick unsuspecting users into joining a fake network put up by the hacker. With this, they can gain access to your personal information of your social accounts and financial credentials, and other sensitive information that may be crucial to your well-being. They can also have access to your files, if the file sharing option is enabled on your system.

Another tactic is once you connect to the fake network, hackers can push malware on your device by sending fake warnings of a system upgrade. Rather than upgrading, they install malware which can broadcast your sensitive information in real-time, including your system’s documents, photos, communication logs, etc.

5 Tips to Keep Your Data Safe on Public WiFi

If you can’t avoid public WiFi networks, you should at least ensure you’re well-protected when using them. Fortunately, there are some useful tips that you can follow to be safe on public WiFi networks:

1. Verify; Configure and Turn off Sharing

Remember that hackers are very clever, so its better to surf and play smart. Read the network name very carefully and ask an employee of the business if the link is legitimate. You can also ask the offering IP address. As mentioned above, cyber attackers often set up fake networks, so verify the name to avoid being victim.

Another important thing to consider, when connected to the public internet, do you really need to have sharing preferences turned on? Obviously, not! So right after you verify the network, turn off the file sharing option. File sharing is usually pretty easy to turn off from the system preferences or control panel, depending on your operating system.

2. Use a VPN

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the most secure option to surf on public networks. It is one of the most useful tools to help people keep their information secure when logged on to public networks.

They also encrypt your data traffic and act as a protected tunnel between the client (browser) and server. All the data passing through the tunnel won’t be visible to hackers and they won’t be able to access your information and the activities you do online.

Another potential benefit, is they mask your IP with their own address from different location. You could physically be in the Australia, but your VPN would show that you’re in a different location.

Not all services are created equal. There are some free services that are less secure than the paid ones. Paid ones do cost some money, but they gives additional security to your needs. Here is the list of best VPNs that help guarantee your privacy and security.

3. Use HTTPS

If you don’t have access to a VPN, making sure you are only visiting encrypted sites can also help protect your data from some of the threats outlined above.

Look for HTTPS at the beginning of a website’s address. This means the connection between the browser and the web server is encrypted, so any data that is submitted to the website will be safe from eavesdropping or tampering. Most browsers also include a padlock symbol at the beginning of the address to indicate the site uses encryption.

4. Keep the Firewall Enabled

Turning on the firewall can prevent hackers’ unauthorized external access to your system. However, it won’t provide complete protection, but it’s a setting that should always be enabled.

It also acts as a barrier that protects your device from data-based malware threats. Then actively monitors the data packets that come from networks and checks whether they’re safe or not. If it sees any malicious data packet, they’ll get blocked. By blocking certain kinds of data, the firewall protects your computer and safeguards your data from attacks.

Usually we turn off the Windows firewall because of the annoying pop ups and notifications and then just completely forget about it. If you want to restart it, then head over to the Control Panel, go to “System and Security” and select “Windows Firewall”. If you are a Mac user, you can go to “System Preferences”, then “Security & Privacy”, then “Firewall” tab and enable Firewall on Mac.

5. Use Antivirus

Antivirus can help protect you while using public Wi-Fi by detecting malware that might get into your system while using the shared network. Always make sure to use latest versions of antivirus program that is installed on your device. An alert will be shown if any known viruses are loaded onto your device or if there’s any suspicious activity, malicious attack, or malware gets into your system via network.

Other Important Tips to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks

Here are some more recommended tips of keeping your system secure on public WiFi:

• Always turn off automatic connection.
• Use 2 factor authentication – this way, even if a hacker obtains your username and password, they still won’t be able to access your accounts.
• Check forget network after using public WiFi.
• Don’t run financial transactions over public networks.

And most importantly! Instead of using these insecure networks, it is better to use your smartphone as a hotspot.

Conclusion

Digital security is important and we need to understand the risks of public WiFi. This may prevent internet users and our loved ones from falling victim to data thefts. These tips are simple, easy, relatively inexpensive and could save you from cyber-criminals at any public place.