Public Wi-Fi hotspots give us the freedom to access the Internet when we’re out and about. But they also expose us to threats.
The most obvious is good old shoulder surfing. In a busy café or airport lounge it’s not impossible for someone to casually look over your shoulder and make a note of your details. Some basic vigilance will go a long way to preventing this kind of low-tech snooping.
The threats you face online when using public Wi-Fi are little harder to quantify.
For instance, even if the hotspot you are using has no security measures and operates without encryption, as long as you are accessing websites that use an HTTPS (note the S) address, your information is no less secure than if you were using a private secure network.
However, the moment you start using unsecured HTTP addresses (the vast majority of the web) then the risk levels start to rise.
For low-key surfing like catching up on the news it’s not so much of an issue. But when you have to enter a password for things like web based email, some blog logins and file sharing you begin to expose yourself to the risk of having your details stolen.
Unscrupulous individuals may also try to take advantage of these open networks to phish or pharm for information. They may even go to the trouble of setting up dummy networks to lull users into giving up their personal information.
Norton suggest a number of precautions you can take to protect yourself at Wi-Fi hot spots:
- Make sure no one is peering over your shoulder when you log into your operating system, email, IM, or other accounts.
- Be on the watch for suspicious behaviour; never leave your laptop or handheld device unattended.
- Turn off file sharing when you’re using a hotspot, and try to minimize the amount of sensitive, personal data you store on your laptops and mobile devices. You can usually turn off file sharing from your operating system’s network settings menu.
- Don’t do your online banking or trading at a public hotspot. Save it for a more safe and controlled environment.
- Make sure you’re on a legitimate hotspot by checking with the host to confirm the network name and connection process.
- Rather than automatically joining the nearest network, manually select the hotspot when you connect.
- Make wise computing decisions. Always avoid using hotspots for important communications or transactions.
In the end, when you’re on a public hotspot, you have no idea what viruses other connected computers might have, or whether there may be a hacker prowling the network. Norton offers a range of products that will protect you from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and dangerous intruders. You can download your free trialware for Norton 360 Version 6.0 here.
