There are many risks that come with traveling, but one of the most oft overlooked is that of the digital variety.
According to cybersecurity firm BullGuard, 79 percent of public Wi-Fi users are jeopardizing their personal information when selecting hotspots. That’s because 86 percent of daily public Wi-Fi users choose convenience over safety.
There are two common points that can leave a public Wi-Fi hotspot vulnerable to attack: poor router configuration and a weak password.
“With dozens or even thousands of people in a public place, a snooper is in a perfect position to look for their prey without being noticed,” said digital privacy expert Daniel Markuson. “It doesn’t take much to start the vicious process: normally the attackers would use pretty basic and easy-to-use software, which is legal to get.”
Examples of such software include Wireshark and Aircrack-ng, which can be used access confidential information sent from a device connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi network.
“If you’re lucky, the snooper may just read your browsing activity,” said Markuson. “But in the worst-case scenario, they can steal all your sensitive information, including passwords and credit card details.”
And that’s not all. Did you know that your personal address is viewable through your home Wi-Fi name? Hackers can easily access this information through—you guessed it—an unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspot.
“All they need to do is find an open public space and set up a tiny scanner that passively collects all nearby Wi-Fi join requests,” explained Markuson.
Fortunately, there are multiple ways travelers can protect themselves from these dangers.
The safest option is to avoid public Wi-Fi all together and use mobile data instead. But when faced with no other choice but to use public Wi-Fi, here are some tips to stay safe:
- When at a hotel or coffee shop, double-check the network name with a staff member. Hackers sometimes create fake Wi-Fi hotspots using similar names.
- Avoid websites that require you to enter sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and banking information. Public Wi-Fi should only be used for browsing the Internet.
- Set up two-factor authentication on all of your accounts.
- Enable your firewall. Most devices already have a built-in firewall, which prevents others from accessing your computer’s data.
- Use a virtual private network (VPN), a tool that sends all your Internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel, making it almost impossible for outsiders to access.
- Turn off the Wi-Fi function on your device when not you’re not using it, otherwise it may automatically connect to an unsecured network.
These simple cyber-safety measures have the potential to save you from a lot of problems, from the mildly annoying through the disastrous.
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