Is Public Wi-Fi Safe? How to Protect Yourself

Public Wi-Fi is common-place in the modern day with places like cafés, museums and airports offering free internet access. People often use it to check emails, social media or search the web. However, this brings about the question, is public Wi-Fi safe? The risks of public Wi-Fi can be substantial, with cybercriminals potentially having access to your data while you are connected to these networks.

What are the dangers of public Wi-Fi?

The risks of public Wi-Fi are extensive, with public Wi-Fi being notoriously insecure, which in the context of putting user data at risk, is a substantial threat. Cybercriminals are known to target public Wi-Fi due to the lack of encryption and security, attempting to intercept data that is transferred over the network.

The interception of this data is where the threat lies, as whilst some of this data can be entirely harmless, some can be sensitive, with banking credentials and passwords being at risk.

How can public Wi-Fi affect you?

Public Wi-Fi can endanger your personal data through making your data vulnerable to attacks from cybercriminals. Due to lack of encryption, the risks of public Wi-Fi include data theft on a variety of devices, including laptops, mobile phones and tablets. This can lead to security breaches in password protected platforms such as social media.

Furthermore, an additional risk of public Wi-Fi is within mobile banking, which in the context of data breaches and data loss is a particularly vulnerable area. By opening up to potential data loss on public Wi-Fi, users risk allowing cybercriminals access to their personal finance, with the ability to transfer funds.

Should I risk using public Wi-Fi?

Having questioned if public Wi-Fi is safe, it’s worth addressing if the risks of using are worth taking. By understanding the risks of public Wi-Fi and the potential ramifications, we see that data loss, theft and security breaches can have dangerous consequences for users, such as breaches into social media and online banking accounts.

Therefore, unless you are utilising an anti-malware software or virtual private network (VPN), public Wi-Fi should be deemed as unsafe and as a potential risk to use.

Is it safe to use public Wi-Fi for banking?

Online banking is one of the biggest risks of using public Wi-Fi, as personal sensitive data and financial data are placed at risk. When logging into online banking on public Wi-Fi, both the user login credentials to the banking platform along with the financial assets of the user are made vulnerable to attack and theft. Therefore, it is recommended to use security measures such as a virtual private network and anti-malware software when accessing online banking on public Wi-Fi.

How can I protect myself when using public Wi-Fi?

Firstly, in order to mitigate the risks of public Wi-Fi, assess the legitimacy of the Wi-Fi you are connecting to. Cybercriminals have been known to establish wireless connections similar to that of the venue offering free Wi-Fi, which endangers your data. Therefore, consider if the wireless connection in question is legitimate and refrain from connecting to unknown access points.

By using a virtual private network (VPN) when connecting to public Wi-Fi, you can add a level of encryption to your data when using the network. A virtual private network replaces your IP address with the VPN server IP address, whilst also adding a layer of encryption to data. This helps to protect against data loss and theft, mitigating some of the risks of public Wi-Fi.

Having considered if public Wi-Fi is safe, it is also worth considering which sites can be deemed safe to visit whilst you’re connected to it. In particular, sites which require passwords or personal information to be accessed present the biggest risk of using public Wi-Fi, as this sensitive data is vulnerable to theft. Therefore, these sites are best avoided when connected to these networks.

Finally, installing an anti-malware software solution can help mitigate the risks of using public Wi-Fi. By ensuring that a security solution is installed across all your devices, the potential threats can be reduced.

How SES computers can help

SES Computers offer an outsourced security package designed to protect you from cybersecurity threats. Our cybersecurity suite is built upon a three stage process of threat prevention, threat detection and incident response, reducing the risks of public Wi-Fi.

SES Computers proactive threat prevention helps ensure that your devices are shielded from attacks, whilst our detection and response protocols deny any cyberattacks from accessing your data. Moreover, our cyberattack simulator and event management system emulate potential web attacks upon your devices, to ensure that your data and information stays protected.

Our cybersecurity package helps reduce the risks of public Wi-Fi, protecting you from data theft and loss, our VulnGuard package protects your device, whilst our 24/7 support team is on hand to monitor and support your needs.

Is Public Wi-Fi Safe? How to Protect Yourself