Wi-fi Hotspot Security

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From coffee shops and libraries to airports and shuttle buses, there are Wi-Fi hot spots almost everywhere you go.  Have you ever thought about how safe it is to access public Wi-Fi? Many Wi-Fi hotspots are unprotected and unencrypted, which means your personal information is vulnerable. Hackers can even set up a free wi-fi hotspot to steal personal information.

To Safely Use Public Wifi…

• Disable automatic wi-fi connection. This will ensure you are not connecting to a malicious wifi hotspot without your approval.
• Disable file sharing on your laptop. If the file sharing is on, other users who are using the same network can steal files from you. Make sure when you are connected to an unknown wifi hotspot that you only access your email accounts that are on secure sites.  The address of a secure site will begin with https:// instead of http://, and you should see a padlock icon beside the address. This means that the information exchanged between the website and your computer is all encrypted. 
• The safest way to keep your personal information private when using a public wifi hotspot is to use a VPN because VPNs encrypt the data between your laptop and a VPN server. UBC offers a free VPN service to students, staff, and faculty members.
• Avoid connecting to an online banking website, or any other website that requires your credit card information while using a public wi-fi hotspot. If you do need to do online banking on a public network, review tips for protecting your money online, and ensure the site you are accessing is secure.

Links

• Wi-fi Security | Wi-fi Alliance
• Microsoft Disables Wi-fi Sense on Windows 10 | KrebsonSecurity.com (2016)
• ‘All wifi networks’ are vulnerable to hacking, security expert discovers | The Guardian (2017)
• Top 5 most dangerous Public WIFI attacks | eChannel News (2018)
• How to Make Your Wifi Router as Secure as Possible | Lifehacker (2018)
• How I hacked into my neighbour’s WiFi and harvested login credentials | Medium (2018)
• Hacker Demonstrates Security Risks Of Free Public Wi-Fi | CBS Boston (2018)
• Public Wifi | The Government of Canada (2021)
• Are Public Wifi Networks Safe? What You Need To Know | Federal Trade Commissioner (2023)

Discuss

The Digital Tattoo Project encourages critical discussion on topics surrounding digital citizenship and online identity. There are no correct answers and every person will view these topics from a different perspective. Be sure to complete the previous sections before answering the questions.

• What precautions do you take to ensure that the public wi-fi hotspots you use are secure?
• Are you ever concerned about the safety of your personal information when using wi-fi?

What do you think? Tell us using the comment below.