Why you Should be Careful When Using Public Wi-Fi

We’re always being told that it’s dangerous to use public Wi-Fi and hotspots and that we shouldn’t do it. Even so, many people continue to use public Wi-Fi without thinking about it. While you don’t need to swear it off entirely, you should always be careful when using public Wi-Fi. Here’s why:

Your Online Activity Could be Monitored 

Hotspots and open Wi-Fi networks are not password protected like your home internet network. That means that anyone who has the means can monitor the web traffic going through the network. It’s done through “packet sniffing”, which allows hackers to see what people do on a public and open network. There are several tools out there that can be found and used for free that can be used for this in a matter of minutes. 

Even if you connect to a password-protected Wi-Fi network, this may not be enough to protect your device from bad actors. These traffic monitoring programs generally come alongside decryption tools. There’s also the fact that this single layer of protection between you and hackers – the network password – is publicly known. They can still get on the network and monitor your traffic. It’s just a little extra work for them. Work they don’t mind doing. 

Your Online Activity Could be Manipulated 

This traffic sniffing can, by itself, be a considerable threat to the average user. If a hacker wants to take things up a notch, they can perform man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. A MitM attack has the hacker act as a middleman between you and the internet connection through a combination of clever social engineering and phishing. 

One form of this attack is called an Evil Twin Attack or Wi-Fi Phishing. It allows for a user to pretend they are the hotspot that you are connecting to. With solutions such as portable routers called “Pineapples,” their devices assume the name and role of the hotspot. Users connect to the device, not aware that they are connecting to an “evil twin” of the network that they intended to use. At this point, the hacker can freely monitor – and even edit – the internet activity of a user. They can send users to fake websites, steal personal information, and make their devices perform set actions. 

Your Devices Could Get Infected 

As well as using a MitM attack to monitor and mess with your online activity, hackers can also force your device to install malware and infect itself. That means that the troubles won’t end just because you disconnected from the network. 

It can be challenging to stay on top of cybersecurity, but it is possible. Practice good common sense and avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi when whenever possible.