Whether on a smartphone, iPad, laptop or any of the myriad other wifi-enabled devices people own, we’ve ALL used public wifi at one time or another, and some of us use it multiple times a day! Unfortunately, public wifi can be extremely dangerous if we’re not careful, and too few people realize how risky it can be.
For example, it’s possible for someone to “eavesdrop” on your Facebook or other social network conversations as well as snoop around in your email, stealing your contact list for fake spam attacks. It’s also conceivable that a stranger could hack a bank account or credit card account if you don’t protect yourself.
So the question becomes, are you “playing it safe” when you’re out and about?
First off, make sure that you turn off any sharing you may have enabled on your laptop. In Windows Vista, 7 and 8, the computer will prompt you to click on the type of network you are joining. Simply choose “public” when you join the new connection and it will disable sharing by default. If you’re on a Mac, go to the system preferences and uncheck the boxes in Sharing.
Next, even though you may think you’ve got a firewall enabled, do a quick check and make sure your firewall is turned on. In Windows go to Control Panel -> System and Security -> Windows Firewall; and on Mac go to System Preferences -> Security -> Firewall.
I would highly discourage doing any banking or credit card purchases at all on public wifi–just wait until you get home if you can. If it becomes absolutely unavoidable, though, at least make sure you are using a secure website with “https” instead of the plain and normal “http” in the address bar. Https websites will at least send the information in an encrypted form. You should also see a picture of a lock in the address bar, indicating that it’s secure.
Have you ever heard the phrase “shoulder surfing?” That’s right–it means someone looking over your shoulder while you type so they can see your usernames and passwords as you log into your email, social network or app store accounts! Incredible though it may seem, lots of people are hacked in this very low tech manner. Simply being aware of your surroundings and noticing if anyone happens to be too close as you’re about to enter sensitive info is a good preventive technique.
Keep in mind that identity theft is rampant everywhere, so just be smart in your public wifi outings and you won’t become the next statistic!