How Can You Use Public WiFi Safely?

Today, almost all cafes, shops, airports, hotels, and other public places offer their clients and visitors access to public WiFi. A survey by cybersecurity company Symantec found that 87 percent of Internet users have connected to the public WiFi network.

Out of which, more than 70 percent of Internet users checked their personal email over a public WiFi network, while 11 percent accessed their bank account online.

Is Public WiFi Safe?

Because public WiFi networks have become so ubiquitous, users often don't think twice about establishing a connection. At the US Republican National Convention in Cleveland last year, network security provider Avast set up three bogus public WiFi networks to let you know what you think about public WiFi security.

The company managed to capture sensitive information from 68 percent of the 1,200 people who used bogus public WiFi networks to connect to the Internet, confirming its suspicion that people take WiFi security too lightly.

In fact, the state of WiFi public safety is not very good. After analyzing some 32 million public accesses, Kaspersky Security Network concluded that 25 percent of public Wi-Fi networks do not use any encryption at all, making it easier for cybercriminals to simply log in and pick up communications, a practice is commonly known as WiFi sniffing.

But even encrypted public WiFi networks are not necessarily secure, as there are other common ways that hackers endanger them, such as fake public access points (hotspots), man-in-the-middle attacks (man-in-the-middle). the-middle attacks), malicious programs (malware), and others.

Clearly, there is some risk associated with public WiFi networks, so knowing how to stay safe on public WiFi networks is critical.

How to Maintain Security on the Public WiFi Network?

All public WiFi networks can be divided into two broad categories: open networks and encrypted networks.

Open Networks: 

A completely open network allows anyone to log in without presenting any authentication details. These networks can be convenient to set up and use but should be considered as the last option to connect to the Internet since all data transmitted over them is exposed and can be quickly captured and interpreted by anyone with basic computer skills.

Encrypted Networks:

The other type of public WiFi networks is those that are encrypted and need user authentication. Encrypted networks guarantee that data transmitted over them is unreadable when in transit between two or more nodes on the network, making them extremely secure than open networks.

Note: Unless you have absolutely no other options left, always connect to an encrypted network rather than an open one.

We know that sometimes open public networks are unavoidable. In those rare cases where an encrypted network is not available, and you desperately need to connect to the Internet, there are certain things you can do to reduce your risk.

Use a VPN Service

To defend yourself against cybercriminals, you can install a virtual private network (VPN) and encrypt your online activity.

There are many VPN services available, and some are even free. A VPN service also hides your real IP address, which can be useful when accessing the Internet from countries with strict Internet censorship.

Limit Your Online Activity

When using a public WiFi network, it is always a good idea to limit online activity. Unless you have full confidence in the security of the public WiFi network you use to connect to the Internet, avoid accessing your email, online banking, or user accounts.

Create Your Own WiFi

If you pay for mobile data, it is a good idea to create your own encrypted mobile hotspot and use it to access the Internet from other devices. When you are in charge of your own security, you can use the latest WiFi encryption standard and set the password policy you want.

Use HTTPS Encryption

HTTPS is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol for secure communication over a computer network and is widely used by websites to protect the personal information of their visitors. Even when you access a website that uses HTTPS over an open WiFi network, your personal data is not readable because it travels in an encrypted form.

Turn Off File Sharing

When you are on a public network, the last thing you want to do is give strangers a chance to access the files on your devices. That is why you need to disable AirDrop on iOS and File Sharing on Windows.

Install and Run Antivirus:

If you don't have one it is recommended to install the best antivirus in your device to prevent you from the malicious site as well other online threat