public wifi network

In today’s generation, everyone loves to stay connected with the online world, and internet usage is not anything unheard of. Hardly you’ll find anyone who is not aware of the internet. More to add, Wi-Fi connection has also become one of the familiar words for everyone, as its one of the wireless internet technologies, which helps various devices like smartphones, computers, stay connected with the internet.

At home, users mostly use Wi-Fi connections, but that’s also the fact that it’s a “closed network,” as you’re the only user or other trusted ones with whom you’ve shared your Wi-Fi credentials. But, like other FREE stuff, free Wi-Fi connections are also available, which are commonly found in public places, and it’s quite popular among users as well. Public Wi-Fi connections are also called as the “open networks,” that lack security measures, which are essential for safe usage. Ultimately, putting your data at risk of exposure to cyber crooks.

Public Wi-Fi Networks Are Widely Accepted

Free Public Wi-Fi networks are used almost everywhere. Including you, many other users might be coming across it daily. As per the Statista, the number of public Wi-Fi hotspots has grown dramatically across the globe.

wifi-public-chart

The above chart clearly says that how public Wi-Fi usage and its users increased year by year and how it will increase in the coming years as well. For example, in 2016, there were only 94 million public Wi-Fi hotspots, which has risen to 362 million in 2019, and it’s expected to reach 454 million by the end of 2020.

However, some of the familiar places where you can expect to see free public Wi-Fi connections are:

  • Restaurants, Bars and Cafes
  • Plazas and public parks
  • Libraries and hotels
  • Subways, bus stations, and airports

Why Public Wi-Fi Not Safe? What Makes Public Wi-Fi So Dangerous?

You might be thinking of why public Wi-Fi is not safe to use or else why free Wi-Fi must be avoided. To answer this shortly, you already might be knowing how these freely available public Wi-Fi’s are open without any password protection. Ultimately, it’s like a breeze of data for cyber crooks as it’s not encrypted, making it quite easy to steal or intercept the users.

However, many other serious threats are also possible via public Wi-Fi networks, and some of the most common ones are like:

Man-in-the-Middle

MitM or MiM, called as man-in-the-middle attacks, is one of the common Wi-Fi security threats. As the name implies, in this attack, hackers intercept the data packages of the victims. Eavesdropping is one of the common tactics of MiM attacks. In MiTM attack, generally, messages between the two users are intercepted by the attackers, where users have no idea that they’re being intercepted by someone.

Generally, the connections which don’t have any mutual authentication protocols connection at both the ends are vulnerable to these types of attacks because authentication protocols are usually designed for keeping these types of attacks at bay.

Fake Wi-Fi Networks

As the name implies, fake Wi-Fi connections are those which are implemented by the cybercriminals. The name of these fake Wi-Fi spots looks quite legit, making the user trick into accessing it. And, once the victim makes access, all the data or information shared during their session will be easily accessible by these cyber crooks, which can easily be stolen by them, for example, sensitive credit card details or passwords and usernames of online banking.

An example of a fake Wi-Fi network is like,

Maybe real Wi-Fi connection name is Hotel-Example001, and the cybercrook creates a fake one quite similar to it: Hotel-ExampleOO1.

Sniffing

Cybercrooks can make use of software like packet analyzers or even sophisticated hardware devices such as Wi-Fi Pineapple, which helps attackers eavesdrop on all the traffic going through a free public Wi-Fi network. Likewise, attackers can also get access to the vital information of the users, such as websites visited, entered message, and sensitive login details for hijacking browsing sessions.

Ad Hocs

Ad hocs are peer-to-peer to networks that help connect two different computers directly. Ad hocs mostly use the same channels, similar to wireless connections. So, whenever someone uses public Wi-Fi networks, there’s a high probability of your computer to be discovered by other networks. Thus, the possibility is there that hackers can connect with your mobile, laptop, or other devices directly if it’s within the range as the channels stay open towards new connections. Moreover, it’s more than enough for one end of the Wi-Fi network to allow ad hoc connections to give cybercriminals access to the whole network.

Endpoint Attacks

In any Wi-Fi network, all the connected users, along with the Wi-Fi provider itself, are called endpoints. Many Wi-Fi security threats generally occur from the connection and the channel, which is used for transmitting data packages. Likewise, endpoints connections are also equally vulnerable to attacks. So, there’s a chance that hackers may set up a fake website or landing page, and if that’s clicked, it may help hackers grant access to the entire network through your device.

Nevertheless, if the entry point is not your device, then you might not even be able to trace that unauthorized cybercrook has gained access to the network as well as your device.

Worms

Worms are quite similar to that of a computer virus. But one thing makes different is that worms don’t require any program to get attached with like it’s required by computer viruses. Worms are capable of propagating on their own. So, if you’re connected to a public Wi-Fi network, and you’re not having any proper security, a worm can easily infect your device from other devices that are connected with the network you’re using.

A Data That Can Be Accessed on Public Wi-Fi & Vulnerable to Cybercrooks

As you saw above, how public Wi-Fi makes you vulnerable to cybercriminals who look around for stealing user’s data. So, the next thing you must understand is that what data they can access.

Whenever you use public Wi-Fi network, there’s a chance of below information being compromised:

  • Services and website, you’re using.
  • Your location and IP address.
  • Your private information, such as passwords.
  • Files and photos shared by you.
  • Your messages, chats, and emails.

Use VPN – Public Wi-Fi Security

No explanation needed, public Wi-Fi comes with high risks, but it doesn’t mean that you should avoid it altogether. You can still make use of it. And, one of the best ways to secure yourself over public Wi-Fi connection is by using VPN from some of the best VPN service providers.

If you keep yourself connected with VPN, all your data will be secured and protected with end-to-end encryption while protecting your privacy and anonymity from prying eyes. Because, whenever you or anyone gets connected with VPN, no one can view your internet session or any other online activities.

Summary

Before we conclude anything, here below are some other measures that you can prefer to stay safe while using free Wi-Fi networks.

  • Disable options like file-sharing to avoid others from accessing your information or any file.
  • Install and keep firewall active on your device, as an extra protection layer to block any unauthorized user to access your device.
  • Use HTTPS Everywhere as it will help you encrypt your communication done between you and the website you visited.
  • Keep your 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) active for all your online accounts. It will make it almost impossible for any cyber crook to break into the account.
  • Keep the Auto-connect option off, and don’t let your device connect with available networks automatically because there’s a chance to have a fake hotspot set up by any cybercriminal.