As we know, wireless networks have a very important role in our day to day. It is a reality that we increasingly use Wi-Fi for our connections. If we look back, the normal thing a few years ago was browsing from the wired computer. This has changed, in part thanks to the rise of mobile devices. However this also has its problems, especially in some circumstances. We are going to talk about why public networks are a danger. We will explain everything we should not do on public Wi-Fi and how to navigate safely .
Everything we should not do on a public network
Public networks are present everywhere. We can find Wi-Fi in a shopping center, train station, airport, parks … Now, we don’t really know who may be behind that network, if it is legitimate or not, if it can have vulnerabilities … It could be exploited by an attacker to steal our data, to observe everything we do. It is important that we keep this in mind and do not make mistakes.
Send sensitive information
Something basic when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network , whether open or not, is not to send sensitive information. For example, do not send an email that may contain important data, do not upload confidential files to the network, do not fill out forms where our personal data appears, etc.
Through a public network a possible attacker could collect all this data that we send. It could be on the lookout for the information that we send to the network to pass through its domains.
Log in
Of course something we should avoid is logging in. As we see the information we send can be intercepted. This logically includes credentials and passwords when logging into any service or platform.
Our advice is to avoid logging into these types of networks, much less if we do it without protection.
Make payments
Another important issue that we must take into account is to avoid making payments . Any transaction can be insecure if we are connected to public Wi-Fi. The data on our card, the information we send, could be compromised.
Enter without antivirus
We must always surf the net with security tools . However, this becomes even more necessary when we enter a public Wi-Fi network. We should never access without adequate protection and here a good antivirus seems essential.
We can have security programs for all kinds of systems and devices. It is something that we must always keep in mind.
Enter unencrypted pages
Finally, something that we should avoid but that does not always happen is to enter unencrypted pages . We refer to HTTP websites. What we send or receive is not encrypted on these types of sites and if we are on a public wireless network it could be intercepted by hackers.
Typical mistakes when entering a public Wi-Fi
Accept unread terms
When we connect to a public wireless network, we are often asked to accept terms . Sometimes that network is not free, but if we fill in a series of data and give our consent, we can connect for a certain time.
What happen? Sometimes what we are accepting is receiving advertising. We have to fill in details with our name, email, maybe even phone number. This is a problem that in the future may have consequences in the form of spam. It is, therefore, another mistake when entering a public Wi-Fi point.
Enter the first «Free» that we see
Cyber criminals use their weapons to attack potential victims. They are always based on mistakes that unsuspecting users can make. One of them, one of those mistakes that most of us have ever fallen into, is entering the first Wi-Fi network that we see with the word “Free” . Is this correct?
It should be mentioned that not all networks with the word “Free” or “Free” are going to be dangerous. However, we can say that within the dangerous, most will contain these words. And is that hackers often use baits to capture the attention of the victim and what better to offer precisely what they are wanting to have.
This is very common in places like airports , where many travelers from other countries arrive and do not have Internet and search for the first network they find for free. But it is also present in many other places.
Activate automatic connection
Many devices allow you to configure automatic connection . This means that they will connect to the first open Wi-Fi network there is. It is a problem since we could be entering without realizing a wireless network that is a danger, that we are not interested in accessing.
This option may seem useful when for example we are traveling in another country and we do not have mobile data. We activate this function on our phone and whenever we are near an open network it connects. Even without us knowing, without accepting anything, the mobile has already connected and has been able to receive or send data. This is, in our opinion, a mistake that we should avoid.
What could happen to us when using dangerous Wi-Fi
When connecting to a dangerous Wi-Fi network, we could compromise our security. That is a fact, as we have seen. Now what exactly could happen to us? To what extent is our security at risk? We are going to see some main issues that could occur by connecting to a dangerous network.
Infect devices
One of the problems of connecting to dangerous Wi-Fi is that they can infect the device . They could introduce malicious software over the network. We already know that there are many varieties of malware that can affect all types of computers and operating systems. We are talking about ransomware, spyware, adware … One of the options that cybercriminals have to infect us is precisely by making use of unsafe networks.
As we have mentioned this is something that could happen in all types of equipment. It does not matter if we are browsing from a computer or from any mobile device. They could infect our devices.
Theft of system data
Without a doubt another important problem is the theft of information that is in our team. We talk about any type of personal data, device characteristics, browsing history … In short, our privacy would be in danger if we connect to a public Wi-Fi that is insecure.
Our online data is of great value. That is why many intruders can use methods to steal information and later include us in Spam lists, send targeted advertising or even sell them to third parties.
Intercept connections
But not only can they steal data that we already have stored, they could intercept everything we send or receive through connections. Any information that comes out of our device, any data that we receive, could also pass through the hands of possible intruders on that public network.
This is something that once again puts our privacy at risk. Therefore we must take precautions and not make mistakes that are exposed to us on the Internet.
How to surf safely on public Wi-Fi
We have seen some of the most important issues that we must avoid so as not to compromise our security when entering a public network. However, it is possible that we navigate safely, as we will see.
Use a VPN service
To all that we have previously indicated we must add the use of a VPN service . It is very important if we are going to connect to open networks, to public networks where we do not really know who may be behind.
VPNs are tools that encrypt our connection . Basically we can say that our data travels in a tunnel without being intercepted. It is very important to avoid problems that expose our information and this type of services helps us to do so.
We can make use of VPN in all kinds of operating systems and devices. We have free and paid options at our disposal. Of course, whenever we are going to use these tools we must make sure that the one we use is reliable and that it will protect our data correctly.
Therefore, using a VPN to connect to public Wi-Fi is something we highly recommend. One more way to safeguard our privacy online.
Turn off file sharing
Possibly we do not have it activated but it would be something very important to avoid. Setting up our device to share files , to be seen by other computers on the same network, is something interesting in our home. It is something that allows us to interact with other teams that we trust.
Now this is something we should avoid at all costs if we are going to connect to a public network. What interests us least is that third parties can obtain information from our system and thus affect not only our security, but also privacy.
Analyze the name of the network very well
Without a doubt, this is something that we must take into account and it is the fact of analyzing, of observing, the name of the network. Sometimes hackers create parallel Wi-Fi networks to mislead victims and to believe that they are browsing something legitimate. For example using the name of a network similar to that of a shopping center or a restaurant.
We must verify correctly that the network to which we are going to connect is really the legitimate one. In case of doubts, if for example we see two with the same name, the ideal is to ask at the establishment or see a possible information panel where the name and password come. In this way we will avoid accessing a false network, which only seeks to imitate.
Avoid networks without passwords or weak encryption
Networks without passwords means that anyone can enter them. This means that a possible hacker could also easily be inside that network and spy on everything that happens around him. On the one hand, it takes advantage of entering a Wi-Fi without problems, but also being an open network it will have a greater number of possible users.
Therefore we must avoid entering public Wi-Fi networks that do not have a password. This could be a problem for our security and is one of the issues that we should avoid as much as possible. But not only that, we should also dispense with networks that have weak encryption. What does this mean? We may come across a Wi-Fi that uses outdated encryption such as WEP, which can be easily exploited by an intruder with the appropriate knowledge and tools.
Have the equipment updated correctly
This is very important and is something that many users do not take into account. It is vital that when connecting to a Wi-Fi network, as well as in general surfing the Internet, our equipment is properly updated . There are many occasions when vulnerabilities arise that can be exploited by possible hackers.
The manufacturers and developers themselves release patches to correct these security flaws. We must always have the latest versions installed and thus avoid problems that may compromise us.
Alternatives to public Wi-Fi networks
We live in a constantly connected society. Many of the tools of our day to day work through the Internet and it is therefore necessary to be connected. However, as we see, using public networks is not always the best solution. We could suffer security problems that compromise our devices, as well as our own privacy. Luckily we can use different alternatives to connect to the Internet with greater reliability.
Share connection with mobile
One of the most popular alternatives to public Wi-Fi networks is to share the connection from your mobile. Let’s say we need to navigate from a laptop or a tablet. We do not have a secure network nearby but we do have a connection on our phone. In this case we simply have to share the connection or Tether. It is a simple and safe process, as long as we put a logically strong password.
Therefore, by sharing the connection with the mobile we will be able to connect from other devices. We can even share the network with friends or family and we all connect in the same way. An interesting alternative to having to access insecure networks, although we must bear in mind that we are using mobile data and we are also pulling a lot of battery from the terminal.
5G / 4G router
Another very interesting alternative is to have our own 5G or 4G router . Basically what we do is connect a SIM card that has access to the network and through this equipment we can connect multiple devices and access the Internet. We have a wide range of possibilities in this regard and it is certainly a very safe option.
It should be noted that some 5G or 4G routers have a built-in battery. This means that they offer autonomy of several hours without the need to be aware of power outlets. A very interesting option to take a train or bus trip and never lose connectivity.
Pay a subscription
As we have seen, connecting to public Wi-Fi networks can be a security problem. However there are subscriptions that we can take into account. Some companies have wireless networks spread over multiple points and we can pay a fee to be able to access them without having to look for an alternative that could be more dangerous.
Even in specific places such as an airport we can find paid Wi-Fi networks , where they will charge us an amount to offer us a safe, stable and good speed network. It is, in short, another alternative that we can consider.