As the summer travel season heats up, are you keeping your private information safe?
From cafes to airports, it’s become second nature for many of us to find and connect to free Wi-Fi. Especially when traveling abroad, staying connected has become a necessity.
“Wi-Fi or connectivity is very much like water and air,” said Eric Plam, an internet security expert and president at SIMO.
But experts like Plam warn that with a growing number of cyber threats, that free Wi-Fi you’re using could cost you.
“Free and public Wi-Fi access points can be fraught with danger,” Plam said.
Personal data can be big business for hackers and scammers, leading to an ever-growing number of threats to be aware of.
A big one is the “Man in the Middle” or “Evil Twin” Wi-Fi scam.
“Which is a Wi-Fi network that looks like the real legitimate one, but it’s actually run by somebody who could be very nearby trying deliberately to intercept your data, passwords, logins, they could even hack into your computer,” Plam said.
Plam said these are some things to remember when connecting to that café, airport, hotel or other public and free Wi-Fi:
- Be wary if it’s too easy. Even if free, cafes, airport lounges, or hotels often ask for a password or room number.
- Once you do connect, check to make sure you’re browsing on a secure site. You can do that by looking at where you type in a web address. It should say HTTPS.
- There also might be a symbol of a padlock—though this isn’t always guaranteed to be safe, according to the FBI.
- You should also refrain from logging into bank accounts or conducting sensitive transactions.
And if you want to go a step further, buy a VPN, or virtual private network. It’s a service provided by lots of different vendors that creates a secure tunnel between your device and whatever site you’re visiting.
But the best option according to Plam is to use your own hotspot.
“This is the most secure and convenient way to go,” Plam said.