Recommendations when using a public WiFi
When you connect to a network in a mall, an airport, or a restaurant, you really don’t know who might be behind it. You don’t know if they have created it with good intentions or if their objective is to see everything you send and receive. And here we must include the passwords as well. There are certain tips that you should keep in mind.
Avoid buying or paying
The first of these is to avoid making a purchase or payment when you are connected to a network that may be dangerous. This also applies to log into sensitive accounts or expose any type of data that can be intercepted by an attacker and compromise your privacy.
When you make a purchase or make a payment, you are conducting a sensitive transaction. Your bank card data, for example, will pass through that network. If it is insecure and has been created to steal information of this type, you may have problems. Therefore, our advice is not to make purchases or payments when you are on a public network. You can see how HTTPS pages help on public networks.
Be careful with personal data when connecting
Another very important point is to be careful with the personal information when connecting to the public WiFi network. It is common that you have to fill in a series of information to be able to enter. For example, they usually ask for the phone number, email and accept some terms.
It is important that you see very well what you are accepting, since you could have problems. You should never expose more personal data than is really necessary. You can always choose to use an alternative email for these situations to avoid being flooded by spam inbox later.
Check that the network is the real one
Whenever you can, you need to check that the network you are accessing is really the one that corresponds. Think, for example, of a restaurant where you go to eat. Perhaps an attacker has created a WiFi network with the same name as the local to scam and the victim falls for it.
Therefore, what you need to do is make sure that you are actually connecting to a legitimate network. You will always see a sign with the exact name or you can ask. This way you will make sure that you are not entering a WiFi created only with bad intentions and taking advantage of a place or business.
Use a VPN
Something very interesting to be able to surf the Internet safely when we do it through public WiFi networks is to use a vpn. This allows the connection to be encrypted. There are many options available, both free and paid, for all operating systems. Our advice is to use a guarantee program.
What the VPN does is prevent an intruder from accessing the information you send or receive. It’s like traveling in a tunnel and they won’t have access. For example ExpressVPN or NordVPN are two options that work very well.
Keep your device protected
On the other hand, beyond taking precautions directly related to the WiFi network, you must also protect your equipment. This will help avoid problems in case you connect to an unsecured wireless network and inadvertently download malware or exploit a bug.
To keep the equipment protected, it is necessary to have a good antivirus. That is the basis for preventing the entry of viruses and other threats. But it is also important that you have the updated system. You must always have the latest versions installed, since this way you will be able to correct certain security flaws that may appear.
