The Risks of Using Public WiFi & How to Protect Yourself!
There's a risk to using public wifi?
Using public WiFi can be tempting at first glance because it seems great. The connection is free, easy and convenient to use. Many of us blindly use public internet sources without a second thought that it could have negative consequences. And while generally the use is relatively safe there are great risks that everyone faces without realizing it. These risks include theft of personal information to session hijacking. Now this may seem scary but we are going to help you to understand these risks and how you can easily protect yourself and information! Follow along to find out how to best protect yourself.
The scary side of public internet use
When using public wifi you should keep these following threats in mind
- Theft of Information; cybercriminals have the ability to purchase and create softwares/devices that assist them in eavesdropping on wifi connections. Public wifi networks are less secure because they are meant to be easy to connect to, making the ability to get on the network and viewing what you did on the internet more accessible. It makes what you did on the internet visible, including any information you provided on websites like your credit card number, account passwords,etc.
- Malware Distribution; due to software vulnerabilities on your operating system, while using public internet connections hackers are able to deploy malware onto your computer. And this can all be done without you having any knowledge of it. They can write a code in your device that will specifically target weaknesses in your software, and place malware onto your device (Check out this blog to find out what malware is!)
- Malicious Hotspots; these are connection sources that pop up in your wifi settings that look legitimate but actually are not. Imagine you go to your wifi connection settings while you're visiting a mall and there are two connection points named after the mall but each spelt slightly different. You click on the one that you believe to be the mall's connection but you end up clicking on an access point for hackers to view your information.
- Unencrypted Networks; when your network is encrypted the information passed between your device and the internet router is done in a sort of “secret code” so that people outside your network aren’t available to view your information. When using public wifi there is no way to ensure that their network is encrypted, meaning that your information passed between your device and router is easily visible to cybercriminals.
How to protect yourself when using public networks
- Connection Security; When browsing websites you can see if your connection is secure quite easily. Look at the web address at the top of the screen and confirm if you see “https” or not. If you do then you are securely connected, and if you do not see it then you are not connected. This does not ensure that the website is a legitimate place to visit but it means that your information is encrypted.
- Using a VPN app; when you use a VPN it will encrypt your information when transporting it from device to router so that you don’t have to depend on the network already being encrypted. It also protects your location information so that websites are not able to collect this data from you.
- Information; ensure that you have the correct information around which network to connect to. Most places that offer a free wifi connection will have the name of the network advertised somewhere, so make sure you are connecting to the right place.
- Antivirus; using an antivirus or security program can protect your device from malware. There are many softwares available online, the best way to find one that fits you is to do research on price, features and ease of use. Once you have one downloaded, ensure that you have a firewall enabled at all times.
While there are many risks to using public wifi sources, there are just as many ways to protect yourself from those threats. Remember you are the key in protecting yourself on the internet, and educating yourself on the risks and threats will help you be secure in your online journey. We at Kid Shield are here to help with that and provide resources to keep you and your loved ones safe. You can sign up for our email list here for more information on cyber security education.
