What You Should Know About Using Public Wi-Fi

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What You Should Know About Using Public Wi-Fi

• By BigInternet

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• With everyone offering free public Wi-Fi from
  malls to dental offices, its easy to log on and
  start using it without giving it much thought.
  However, using public Wi-Fi does pose some
  threats if youre not being careful and are
  unaware of the potential dangers. You can
  encounter different set-ups from retail stores to
  coffee shops and a portable Internet solution at
  an event to the airport. Heres our peek into the
  seedier side of free Wi-Fi to help keep you safe.

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• The Types of Public Wi-Fi
• Public Wi-Fi is available on both secured and
  unsecured networks. As you can imagine, one works
  automatically when you are within range without
  the need to log on, while the secured version
  requires a login. Sometimes, a shop or business
  will require you to make a purchase to access
  their secure network.
• Public Wi-Fi Dos Donts
• This is a quick and easy overview of what you
  should and shouldnt do when it comes to using
  public Wi-Fi
• Do feel safer when you connect to a secure
  public network. Some companies offer an unsecure
  network that requires you to register so they can
  collect your email address, so make sure you
  understand if youre logging on to a secure
  network or are just registering.
• Dont use unsecured or secured public networks
  for tasks that require confidentiality, such as
  personal banking, online purchases or accessing
  sensitive personal data.
• Do turn the automatic connectivity off on your
  device as it could connect you to suspicious
  networks up to no good when you are out and
  about.

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• Dont leave devices unattended even for a minute
  when you are in a public place as it just takes a
  quick peek for someone to get valuable info from
  your phone or laptop, or to just grab it and
  disappear into the crowd.
• Do monitor your Bluetooth connectivity when you
  arent home as it can pose a risk for hackers to
  access your device.

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• Top Security Tips for Public Wi-Fi Use
• To keep you even safer, heres our top security
  tips to help you avoid hacking when out in
  public
• Turn Off Sharing Disable sharing for things such
  as music libraries when you are using public
  Wi-Fi as this can actually allow others sharing
  the network to hack your device.
• Use a VPN Using a virtual private network (VPN)
  gives you the safety of your private network even
  when using public Wi-Fi to keep your personal
  info safe. This is a must if youre a free Wi-Fi
  groupie and connect to every network wherever you
  go.
• Avoid Auto Connecting As already mentioned you
  should turn off your automatic connectivity when
  you go out as you wont know if something is
  secure and safe with this setting. Instead, just
  choose where you want to use public Wi-Fi to
  avoid connecting to malicious networks. Theres a
  good chance this is not on anyway, as most
  smartphones disable it by default. Its best to
  check just to be safe.

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• HTTPS over HTTP HTTPS websites encrypts the
  transfer data to keep you protected whereas HTTP
  websites dont. There is a browser extension
  called HTTPS Everywhere that will make sure that
  just about any site you visit transfers data
  safely.
• Two-Factor Authentication We know, we know, it
  seems like such a pain, but it really is the
  safest thing to use. This can include use of a
  password and a thumbprint or face verification.
  This just means that if someone gets your
  password, theyll need your face if they want to
  log on to any of your accounts!
• Network Name Double Take If youve ever been in
  your favourite coffee shop and tried to use their
  Wi-Fi login, you might have noticed two similar
  network names. This is a red flag that something
  is wrong. Before logging on, ask the servers
  which one is correct as it is not uncommon for
  malicious networks to be set up using a similar
  name to get you to log on to their fake network
  to steal your info. The clever little devils!

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• Failsafe Passwords Its so easy and lazy to use
  the same password for everything you do, but
  nothing is easier for a hacker than to figure it
  out fast and start their wicked practices.
  Instead, be sure you have the best possible
  random passwords so its harder to hack into your
  devices and accounts.
• Firewall Up Use your built-in firewall to
  monitor connections to increase your protection.
• Use Anti-Virus Software Kind of
  self-explanatory, but this will provide alerts if
  your device has been compromised.
• Ad Blocker Most people already use an ad
  blocker, but if you dont, a blocker can not only
  help prevent those ever so annoying ads but also
  same-network attacks, so you can browse safely.

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• BYO Wi-Fi
• Using data is an option that deserves its own
  section. This can be a scary idea depending on
  what your cellular service offers. Cellular data
  provides connection to the internet using your
  phone, as long as you are in the range of a cell
  tower. The problem with this set-up is that you
  will have a monthly allotment of data with your
  cellular plan and when you go over, it costs you.
  
• Ideally, you want to limit data usage, and this
  is even more important if you share data with
  your partner or kids. However, its an option if
  you really are feeling vulnerable and desperately
  need to check Facebook!
• There are no hard and fast rules that tell you
  when and when not to use data versus a public
  Wi-Fi network. However, there are some basics you
  can consider so you know when you should use one
  over the other.

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• Here are some dos and donts for Wi-Fi versus
  Data
• Do use Wi-Fi when
• Its a secure network
• Youre streaming video
• Youre travelling internationally
• Speed is needed
• The Wi-Fi signal is strong
• Youre limited by a costly data plan and dont
  want to go over your limit
• Do use cellular data when
• Only a public, non-secure Wi-Fi network is
  available
• The public Wi-Fi network is too slow
• You have plenty of data left for the month
• You have a weak Wi-Fi connection
• You arent travelling outside the country

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• Although you can run into security issues and
  malicious activity under many different
  scenarios, using these tips will help provide the
  best possible protection from those neer do
  wells who are out to hack your devices.

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