When it comes to connecting to a public Wi-Fi network, all experts offer one piece of advice: DON’T. WPA2, the encryption protocol secures all modern Wi-Fi networks, has a major weakness. If you use a Wi-Fi network, anyone nearby could readily access your information due to this vulnerability. This includes information that was thought to be encrypted. The current Wi-Fi standards are faulty and should not be relied on.
How Is Public Wi-Fi Insecure?
One of the most dangerous aspects of free Wi-Fi is the ability of hackers to place themselves between you and the connection point. As a result, rather than communicating directly with the hotspot, you end up transmitting your information to the hacker. Every bit of information you send out is also accessible to the hacker. It includes emails, phone numbers, credit card information, and business information, among other things. You’ve effectively handed over the keys to your life to a hacker once they have that knowledge.
Various incidents of hackers trying to access information have been reported in the past. One of the groups which is in news currently is LAPSUS$.
When you connect to insecure Wi-Fi, you expose your device to everyone else who is also connected to that same wireless network. So what’s the big deal about that? What if other individuals on the network can see my device?
Not all applications on your mobile device secure your data. That means you may be sending plain text usernames, passwords, and even SMS messages. Simply said, when you use an app that uses encryption, all data you send or receive is encrypted in such a way that it is extremely difficult to decipher.
What Can Be Done?
There have been several warnings, headlines, and initiatives to educate the general public. Despite their efforts, many people still don’t grasp why connecting to free Wi-Fi is a dangerous condition regardless of what you’re doing online. Even if you connect for something as innocuous as checking the sports score, keep in mind that whatever you do on a public Wi-Fi network is NOT safe. Any information you share or access on these networks is effectively erased.
However, sometimes you may find yourself in a position where you really must connect to an insecure wireless network. Consider the following options if you find yourself in this scenario:
- Do not come into contact with any of your personally identifying information (PII). When you access information via a public Wi-Fi network, you are not treating it as valuable. As a result, if you must use a public Wi-Fi network, avoid touching any PII at all costs, including banking information, social security numbers, and home addresses.
- A VPN allows you to connect to another network securely via the Internet. VPNs can be used to access region-restricted websites, protect your browsing behaviour on public Wi-Fi from prying eyes, and much more. They are an excellent substitute for public Wi-Fi networks. While they do cost money, the added security and peace of mind are definitely worth it.
- Use a more secure web browser, such as Brave or Firefox, to enable features such as HTTPS always and secure DNS.
- Enable safe DNS in your preferred web browser, so all of your searches are encrypted.
- Enable end-to-end encryption in the Android Messenger app to encrypt all SMS messages.
- Depending on your operating system, turning off file sharing is frequently as simple as going to the system options or control panel. Alternatively, you can have Windows turn it off for you by selecting the “public” option the first time you connect to a new, unsecured network.
Most of the time, people rush to connect to public Wi-Fi networks in order to avoid overage costs on their phone bills. However, your smartphone is just as vulnerable as your laptop. Purchasing an unlimited data package will eliminate the need to connect to unsafe Wi-Fi networks.
