Don’t sacrifice your security for free Wi-Fi

Who doesn’t love a little free Wi-Fi? It's an easy way to save your data and keep your monthly phone bill low. But public Wi-Fi comes with a hidden price tag. Although convenient, it can leave you vulnerable to hackers seeking to steal your info. 

That said, using free Wi-Fi is fine, however, as long as you know how to protect yourself. Here are a few things you should know. 

Why public Wi-Fi isn’t safe 

Free Wi-Fi is like a breeding ground for hackers. Unlike a private home, where only a few people get online, free public networks might host hundreds of users a day — all with sensitive info to steal. Plus, the Wi-Fi in public places is often unprotected and easy to hack. 

There are two types of public Wi-Fi: secured and unsecured. An unsecured network is open to anyone within range, no password required. A secured network requires you to type in a password, register an account or agree to legal terms before you can connect, which is better but still risky since many places use shared passwords. 

How does this benefit hackers? It leaves you vulnerable to tricks such as: 

Man in the middle. When you connect to public Wi-Fi, your device exchanges data with websites you visit. Hackers can intercept this data in transit. They can even make changes to it. 

Think about it this way: Imagine you’re shouting your private information across the room to a trusted source. But between you and this trusted source is a person listening to what you’re yelling and writing down everything. That’s more or less how public Wi-Fi works. You can avoid man-in-the-middle hackers by ensuring that any Wi-Fi you connect to (public or otherwise) is password-protected. Beyond that, avoid using public Wi-Fi to check sensitive information such as your bank account, health records, etc. 

Fake hotspot. A devious hacker can set up a hotspot that looks legit, luring unsuspecting victims to their network instead of the real one. They can even broadcast fake credentials that trick your device into automatically connecting. This technique is similar to opening a fake storefront. You (the unsuspecting victim) walk into a store you think is real, you purchase an item, and in doing so, give your information to the fraudster running the store. Fake hotspots are also sometimes called “evil twins.” 

It’s tricky to spot a fake hotspot, but one easy technique is to check for similarly named hotspots in the area. For example, if you see two Wi-Fi networks with the same name, then there’s a chance that one of them is a fraudster. They may even choose the same password as the real Wi-Fi network to lull you into a sense of security. You may ask yourself, well, how’d they get the password for the real network? Plenty of public Wi-Fi passwords are publicly displayed.  

Because of this, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and be careful about the information you access on a public network.  

Packet sniffing. Data thieves often use software called packet sniffers to eavesdrop on network traffic. They can look at the web pages you visit, see any information you fill out, or even capture your login credentials and hijack your account. 

You can think of packet sniffing as akin to someone checking your physical mail. Once the mail is in your mailbox, anyone can come along, open the mailbox and read your information. Granted, the packets that devices exchange aren’t quite as easy to access, but there are more than a few fraudsters with the skills to do so.  

The good news is that any software that’s on the up-and-up has built-in security layers to prevent packet sniffing. The role you play in protecting your packets/info is simply to ensure that your software is up to date. You can do this by setting up automatic updates in your device’s app store or by manually checking for updates. Automatic updates are safer as they reduce the time between updated and outdated software.  

Another option is to use encrypted messages so that even if a packet is intercepted, the information it contains is entirely inaccessible. 

Malware injection. Hackers aren’t just able to intercept your info; they can also exploit weaknesses in your software or operating system to send information back to you. This means they can slip malware onto your device without you realizing it.  

The best way to avoid malware, besides ensuring your device and software are updated, is by keeping a diligent eye. Avoid unknown links, check web addresses for typos and don’t visit unsecured websites. (Your device will typically inform you if a website is unsecure before connecting to it.)  

General steps you can take to protect yourself from Wi-Fi fraudsters 

• Use only networks that require a password. 
• Double-check that the network is legit before you connect. 
• Disable file sharing. 
• Turn off automatic connectivity. 
• Turn off Bluetooth when you’re not using it. 
• Visit only websites that use HTTPS. 
• Use a VPN if possible. 
• Switch to your cellular connection before doing anything sensitive. 

What’s off-limits 

That said, there are a few things you never want to do on a public Wi-Fi network, no matter how legit it seems. These include: 

• Logging into your bank account 
• Completing online purchases 
• Checking your email 
• Visiting websites that contain sensitive data 
• Entering or sending private information 
• Logging into any website that requires your password 

Now that you know the basics, you can go out in the world and stay connected — without giving up your sensitive data.