There
are two things that can ruin a perfect holiday: bad weather and waking
up to an empty bank account. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you how to
hack the weather, but we can help you avoid getting hacked.
Let’s start with why using public Wi-Fi networks is risky in the first place.
Free Wi-Fi, but at what price?
So you were bored at the airport and
decided to connect to that free Wi-Fi network, to get some last-minute
work done before you turn your email notifications off for one blissful
week. You may think you were doing your boss a favor, but in reality
you’ve just exposed yourself to countless security threats.
Whether you’re aware of it or not,
everything comes at a price. And if you use a free Wi-Fi network to make
online payments, this might end up being your most expensive mistake.
Public wireless networks are so vulnerable that even your
technologically challenged mother could learn how to hack them.
OK, that
may have been an exaggeration, but they truly are very easy to spy on.
Man-in-the-middle attacks or
spoofing, Wi-Fi sniffing and malware are the main weapons hackers use to
steal the information you expose while using public networks. What are
they after? Everything. Could be your passwords, banking details, full
chat history or even those unflattering selfies you meant to delete.
A virtual playground for hackers
If you think all hackers are braininess, you’re wrong. It’s almost too easy to break into an unsecured
wireless network. With some decent googling skills, anyone can get free
hacking software and use it to collect data from unsecured networks.
This is called sniffing and it
exposes your entire online activity – the contents of your emails and
chat sessions, your passwords and credit card info. By the way, inflight Wi-Fi networks are notoriously vulnerable to this type of snooping, so your bank account could be drained by the time you reach your destination.
A more
advanced way of hacking into online accounts is through
man-in-the-middle attacks. Using a simple Wi-Fi device, hackers can set
up fake networks with names that sound perfectly legitimate. So if that
open “FREE Hotel Wi-Fi” is tempting, think of the risk before you
connect.
It
doesn’t take much for a serious hacker to poke holes in your wireless
network and sneak some vicious malware in, which then gives them full
control over your computer, including your files, webcam and microphone.
Golden rules of Wi-Fi safety
If that
got you panicked, take a deep breath and calm down. With a little bit
of caution, you can fend off snoopers and attackers. Read our tips and
burn them into your memory.
2. If you visit websites that require your login details, make sure they’re secure (the address should start with https:// instead of http://). If you’re redirected to an ‘http://’ after logging in, that means you’ve jumped back to unsecure browsing
3. Use a VPN to encrypt your passwords and hide your online activity. This adds an impenetrable layer of discretion to your browsing sessions.
4. Turn off file and printer sharing on your computer. On Windows, you’ll usually find this setting in Control Panel, under ‘Network and Internet’, and ‘Network Sharing Center’. OS X users can change these options from their System Preferences, under ‘Sharing’
5. Make sure your firewall is enabled
We all use Wi-Fi for our personal gadgets like smartphone and laptop.
And moreover, we love to use public Wi-Fi as it is available for free
in our local coffee shop, airport or in a shopping malls.
These
free Wi-Fi makes it easy to get online anywhere. But, there are few
risks while using free Wi-Fi like security threat, personal data hack
and more. However, a little awareness will help you to keep you safe and
stay connected.
That
covers the basics of staying safe while using free Wi-Fi networks. Do
you take any extra measures to protect your data while browsing from
cafés, hotels and airports? lets share us with in comment box.
This is my first post on this blog tell us how much you liked It, and if you have any other method please share with us in comment section.
This is my first post on this blog tell us how much you liked It, and if you have any other method please share with us in comment section.
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