When hanging out in coffee shops or cafes, we often use free WiFi facilities to connect to the internet. It's just that you have to be careful, because there are dangers lurking that sometimes you don't realize.
When connected to public WiFi, we are exposed to a very real risk of data theft. There are many cases of hackers infiltrating free WiFi services to steal important data sent by people on the network.
Makes more anxious, these cybercriminals carry out their actions secretly, even many victims are not aware that their devices have been infected with malware.
Even so, that doesn't mean you have to avoid public WiFi to connect to the internet. You can still use the free WiFi service, but take the steps given by Kaspersky below to stay safe while connected.
Tips for Staying Safe When Connected to Free WiFi Service
1. Always be careful
Any data you send or receive over public Wi-Fi is visible to anyone with access to the same network. No matter how tempting or urgent a private transaction may be, a passwordless Wi-Fi network is not recommended for handling important information.
Even a network that has a password is by no means completely secure, because passwords are often printed so that anyone can connect to them.
2. Check the hotspot name carefully
Some cybercriminals are sometimes one step ahead, so instead of connecting to a public Wi-Fi network, you're connecting to their own, similarly named network.
For example MyCoffeeShop is a real network, unwary guests may mistakenly join CoffeeShop_Guest or MyC0ffeeShop and thus give cybercriminals easy access to their personal data.
So, before joining a new public network, take a moment to check the available connection names. Carefully check the correct word order, replacement of letters with numbers that look similar, extra underscores, and so on.
3. Disable automatic connection to Wi-Fi
Modern devices seek to simplify life by offering features to automatically connect to open or public networks; on many systems, this option is enabled by default.
Unfortunately, automatically connecting devices before legitimate users have a chance to be careful - opens up opportunities for cybercriminals to spread malware or commit password theft.
To avoid such incidents:
Always turn off Wi-Fi when you're not using it (it will also save battery life)
Disable automatic connection to the network - look for the option in your Wi-Fi settings
Delete public Wi-Fi networks as soon as you are done using them
4. Avoid untrusted Wi-Fi
Always try to use a secure home or company network when entering bank accounts, passports, or other sensitive details. If circumstances require you to immediately check your balance, use mobile data. Even if you are abroad and roaming costs are high, losing information through a malicious access point can be much more detrimental.
5. Install security solutions to protect communication channels
The surest way to keep your device safe when using public Wi-Fi is to equip it with reliable protection beforehand. Virtual private network (VPN) applications protect privacy by encrypting data before sending it to the router, keeping it hidden.
By installing this technology, even public Wi-Fi is secure. When choosing a secure connection solution, make sure you trust the developer vendor.
Choose a reputable company that will not store and sell user data, for example Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection which uses a reliable and secure OpenVPN protocol and does not log user traffic.
