LIFESTYLE NEWS - The convenience of public Wi-Fi for many people is invaluable – most especially when you are at an airport with a lot of waiting time.
However, there are risks.
Malicious Wi-Fi hotspots can be found in many public venues, so taking precautions – not just at airports – is critical to ensure a cybercriminal does not steal your data, says Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO at ESET Southern Africa.
We’ve all done it – connect to the free Wi-Fi, without a second thought of whether it’s legitimate, but the worst thing you can do is assume it is legitimate – or run by an establishment you’re in. It might be a decoy deployed by criminals.
Basic precautions
Consider using a 3G or 4G hotspot instead of free public Wi-Fi hotspots. When the phone is connected to the cellphone data network, it can convert the data stream into a Wi-Fi signal for other devices to share.
Once you’re assured that the hotspot is legitimate, you probably want to check your email messages – this is best done via your PC, as you can use the browsers’ secure icon (usually a lock or similar in your address book) to check that you are connected securely (that is, via HTTPS).
If you absolutely must connect to public Wi-Fi networks, be sure to connect to a legitimate one. Sometimes attackers will set up a malicious network (an “evil twin” or “spoof”) to trick you into logging into a network with a similar or same name. It never hurts to verify with the facility which the proper one is to connect to.
Limit activities to anything that does not require a username and password as hackers who are monitoring network traffic are looking for you to do just this.
Avoid, at all costs, logging into sensitive services such as banking applications or email when using public Wi-Fi, because criminals are always looking for ways to use online banking against you. While cellphone banking in theory should be safe, this is only if you are using the official banking app, as there are a lot of copycat versions that people mistakenly download.
If you’re going to use your computer in a risky environment, ensure sharing is switched off – you don’t want unknown attackers having access to your files. On a Mac you will find this under sharing preferences and on a PC your homegroup and sharing setting will vary according to your operating system (OS).
Travellers will be on safe ground researching information, or checking news sites or looking at maps of the local area, but anything financial, such as booking a hotel, is best done either via your mobile device’s connection, or just over the phone.
Use basic security service such as an antimalware/antivirus and consider a virtual private network (VPN). If you are looking for reputable security software, there are many good ones out there that cover nearly all operating systems.
'We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news'
