We often hop onto whatever free WiFi we can find to read the latest news, scroll through social media, or even check our bank balance. However, not many of us stop to think about whether logging into a public WiFi network is safe.- Keep Your Data Safe
The truth is, there are many dangers to using free WiFi networks. This, however, doesn’t mean that we should stop using them for good, and even if we want, we just can’t avoid them. Instead, we can do a few things to stay safe when surfing the web on public WiFi.
Table of Contents
Tips to Stay Safe on Free WiFi Networks
Using public WiFi is convenient, but you don’t know who can be connected to the same network and spy on your online activity. Your device, data, and online activity are thus exposed to hackers, malware, and viruses.
Following these tips can mean the difference between safe browsing and data loss or an identity theft nightmare.
Select the Correct Network
If you try to connect to a public WiFi and see several options with similar names, make sure you choose the right network. Don’t pick the strongest signal you see without checking if that’s the right network.
This will protect you from WiFi phishing which happens when hackers trick users into logging into another network just to get to your information. So if you’re, for example, at a restaurant, ask a waiter for the correct network name if there are multiple networks with similar names available.
Also, it’s best to avoid networks with zero security and use only those that require a password to grant you access.
Use HTTPS Only- Keep Your Data Safe
When you browse the web from a safe network, it doesn’t matter if the site you want to visit has HTTP or HTTPS at the beginning. On a public WiFi network, however, it’s absolutely important.
Accessing sites that have HTTP at the beginning exposes you to hacker attacks and data theft. That’s because the connection is not encrypted. With HTTPS sites, you can rest assured that the connection is encrypted and safe.
Use Mobile Proxies
With mobile proxy servers, cybercriminals won’t be able to use your IP address to find out your sensitive data and use it for nefarious purposes. That’s because proxies act as barriers between your device’s IP address and your online activity.
They are servers that use their own IP addresses to connect you to sites you want to visit. So, using them allows you to browse the net anonymously by keeping your real IP address hidden. This way, they add an additional security layer to your device when using public WiFi networks.
However, it’s important to know where to buy mobile proxies to make sure they are reliable and safe. For that reason, you should consider only trustworthy proxy providers that will guarantee 100% security and anonymity of their proxies.
If you can’t afford them, you can always find free proxies that provide a decent level of anonymity and security. Click here if you want to find a good free proxy list from a reputable provider.
Avoid Using Your Passwords
Whatever you do online, you probably have to enter a few of your passwords to access your accounts. But, if you use your passwords while you’re on a public network, you risk them being compromised by hackers pulling down data from the same network. In fact, you risk compromising anything you type and send to the net.
If you must use your passwords, however, there are two things you can do to protect them from hackers. The first thing is to use them on services where you have set up two-factor authentication. The second is to use a password manager.
Password managers are software applications that store your passwords securely and keep them encrypted. You can use them to automatically fill out forms without typing your passwords.
To Sum Up
Using public WiFi networks is inevitable as we all want Internet access everywhere. But, you can easily end up on a network that’s not secure, making your personal information, contacts, private documents, login credentials, and photos available to users on the same network, including hackers.
However, doing simple things like choosing the right network, using proxies, avoiding using your passwords, and accessing only HTTPS sites can help protect your data, device, and privacy on a public WiFi network.
