{"id":41226,"date":"2021-08-16T13:47:44","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T17:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=41226"},"modified":"2021-09-24T07:51:13","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T11:51:13","slug":"public-wi-fi-security-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/public-wi-fi-security-tips\/41226\/","title":{"rendered":"7 security tips for public Wi-Fi users"},"content":{"rendered":"

No longer a luxury, free Internet access anytime and anywhere has rapidly become commonplace. We seek out hotspots wherever we spend more than a minute: in the subway, in caf\u00e9s, in public buildings. But the price of such convenience<\/a> is the risk of running into cybercriminals. Here\u2019s how to strike the right balance between comfort and security.<\/p>\n

What are the risks of public Wi-Fi?<\/h2>\n

Quite simply, if you connect to public Wi-Fi, you face the very real prospect of data theft. We transfer a lot of valuable information over the Internet, and if cybercriminals get their hands on your payment data, login credentials, documents, private chats, and so forth, they can siphon off your savings and hijack your accounts. With account access they can, for example, impersonate you and distribute spam or extract money from your friends, or find blackmail fodder in your chat history.<\/p>\n

If you connect to an insecure network from a work device, your company\u2019s business secrets might also end up in the wrong hands. In some cases, cybercriminals may even stealthily infect your device with malware, which remains there even after disconnecting from the dangerous hotspot. To stay safe on public networks, follow our seven simple rules.<\/p>\n

1. Exercise caution with public Wi-Fi<\/h2>\n

No matter how tempting or urgent a private transaction may be, password-free Wi-Fi networks are not suitable for handling important information. Any data you send or receive over public Wi-Fi may be visible to anyone with access to the same network<\/a> \u2014 that could be any of dozens or hundreds of strangers at the airport, or on the train, for example. Use public Wi-Fi for reading the news, by all means, but don\u2019t log in to any services or you might find your accounts compromised.<\/p>\n

That said, even if a network has a password, that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s safe. An attacker can connect just as easily as you \u2014 such passwords are often printed on caf\u00e9 receipts or a sign visible to all, for example.<\/p>\n

2. Check hotspot names<\/h2>\n

Some cybercriminals go further and, instead of connecting to existing public Wi-Fi networks, create and lure victims into their own, which they name something similar. If MyCoffeeShop is the real network, for example, unwary guests might mistakenly join CoffeeShop_Guest or MyC0ffeeShop and thus give the crooks easy access to their data.<\/p>\n

Before joining a new public network, take a moment to check the names of available connections. Look for correct word order, letters replaced with similarly shaped numbers, extra underscores, and so forth.<\/p>\n

3. Disable automatic connection to Wi-Fi<\/h2>\n

Modern devices endeavor to simplify life by offering to connect to open or known networks automatically; on many systems this option is enabled by default. Unfortunately, that helps cybercriminals as well, by connecting devices before legitimate users have a chance to exercise caution \u2014 and potentially picking up malware or handing passwords straight to data thieves.<\/p>\n

To avoid such surprises:<\/p>\n