AMU Cyber & AI

Public Wi-Fi Security Tips

Exercise caution with free, public Wi-Fi

With the number of free, public Wi-Fi options seemingly growing each day, security concerns that coincide with this type of Wi-Fi also continue to grow.

There are few people out there who would argue the convenience of public Wi-Fi in the ever-connected world. But, at the same time, as use of these largely insecure networks increases, so do cybersecurity issues.

Many times over in the recent past, cybersecurity experts urged caution while using public Wi-Fi. The caution centers around how easy it is for cyber criminals to tap into these networks with malicious intent–[link url=”http://www.csoonline.com/article/3108500/security/10-year-old-teaches-hackers-a-valuable-lesson-in-privacy.html” title=”even a 10-year proved how easy it is to hack public Wi-Fi”] earlier in 2016.

With these cybersecurity concerns in mind, Kaspersky Lab, a firm that specializes in antivirus & internet security software, recently published [link url=”https://blog.kaspersky.com/dangerous-public-wi-fi/10774/” title=”8 security rules for public Wi-Fi users”].

How to be protected on public Wi-Fi

While it’s convenient to just find that nearest open Wi-Fi network and blindly connect, Kaspersky Lab–and other experts in the field–recommend against that.

A few of Kaspersky Lab’s tips center on choosing a network:
— Don’t trust open Wi-Fi networks that do not require passwords. These types of networks can turn out to be fake access points set up simply to try to steal personal information.
— But don’t fully trust public networks with passwords, either. Cyber criminals can obtain access to the password just like you did.
— When you’re not using Wi-Fi, turn it off. This can protect against personal information being obtained without your knowledge.

Other tips focused on where you browse and what you do while connected to public Wi-Fi:
— Do not access online banking accounts or any other important services while connected to public Wi-Fi. If you must do this in public, accessing these account from your mobile connection can be a safer choice.
— Try to only access websites that use https while on public Wi-Fi. This can ensure that most of your browsing activity in encrypted.

See the [link url=”https://blog.kaspersky.com/dangerous-public-wi-fi/10774/” title=”full list of tips”] for more information.

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