The Nsas Take On Wifi Hotspots & VPNs
In a report published in June this year, the National Security Agency recommends using a VPN service provider when connecting to publicly available WiFi hotspots. In the report, the NSA acknowledges the additional cost of subscribing to a VPN service but does not consider this to be a reason that outweighs the importance and benefits of a good VPN service.
In my experience, subscribing to a VPN provider that charges no more than $4 per month is much better, and wiser, than putting your bank details, credit card number, and personal information on the line every time you decide to check your mail while connecting to a public WiFi hotspot.
The report titled Best Practices for Keeping Your Home Network Safe, highlights that the underlying security infrastructure of most publicly available wireless hotspots is often weak. This is because hotspot providers seldom go beyond investing the speed and bandwidth of their WiFi hotspots.
The Dos And Don’ts Of Using Public Wi
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Public Wi-Fi is available just about everywhere, from the local coffee shop to the hotels and airports you visit while traveling. Wi-Fi has made our lives a little easier, but it also poses security risks to the personal information available on our laptops and smartphones. Here is a helpful list of dos and donts you should follow if you plan to use public Wi-Fi.
Public Wi-Fi is available just about everywhere, from the local coffee shop to the hotels and airports you visit while traveling. Wi-Fi has made our lives a little easier, but it also poses security risks to the personal information available on our laptops and smartphones. Here is a helpful list of dos and donts you should follow if you plan to use public Wi-Fi.
When And Why Should You Use A VPN
When checking into your hotel, connecting to the WiFi is often one of the first things you do once settling in. While it may sound like a tempting offer, logging in to an unsecured connection without a VPN is a very bad idea. In July, ZDNet reported the return of hacker group DarkHotel which aims to target hotel guests computers after they have logged on to the buildings WiFi. Once compromising a guests WiFi, the hacker group can then leverage a series of phishing and social engineering techniques to infect targeted computers.;
Traveling and lodging is just one example of when you can use a VPN to help stay secure and avoid potential attacks, however anyone can benefit from using a VPN.;;
From checking Facebook on an airport hotspot, accessing your company files while working remotely or using an open network at your local coffee shop, regardless of the scenario, using a public WiFi can potentially put the data youre sending over the internet at risk. For business looking to secure their guest WiFi, click to learn more about our DNS protection solution.
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Choose The Correct Public Network
When you absolutely must connect to Public WiFi, you should employ your security awareness knowledge and be careful with network names. You may think youre logging onto your local Starbucks WiFi but if youre not paying close attention, you might be connecting to a rogue WiFi access point set up by a hacker.
Need to see an example of this? Have a look at what 7-year old Besty Davies was able to accomplish by following some simple instructions.
Eavesdropping On Your Online Activities
You might think the web pages you view, email messages you send, and videos you watch while using public Wi-Fi are private. But theyre not.
With some basic technology, hackers can intercept just about anything you do online after connecting to the public Wi-Fi offered by hotels, restaurants, retailers, and libraries. The message, again, is clear: Dont visit any sensitive sites, send important emails, or watch any embarrassing videos while using public Wi-Fi. You never know whos watching where you surf.
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Setting Up A VPN At Home
If you frequently work from home or want additional home protection, setting up a VPN for your entire home network is a good idea. This means that any device that connects to the internet at your home will be using a secure and protected network. However, adding this extra step can slow down web traffic, which may lead to longer loading times for all users.
When setting up a VPN at home, there are a few options that you can choose from:
How To Protect Yourself When Using Public Wifi Facilities
Now that you have an idea of the risks that youre taking when using a public wifi network, you might be wondering how do you protect yourself from these threats? Well, the best way is to use a public wifi VPN.
How does a VPN protect you on public wifi you ask? Well, for one thing, it encrypts all the information sent from your device through the public wifi network. That way, even if the data gets intercepted, its useless since the hacker wont be able to decipher the information.
A public wifi VPN also hides your devices IP address a piece of key information that hackers would need to identify and access your device. Instead, theyll only be able to see the IP address of the VPN server that youre connected to.
At this point, you might be wondering, is it safe to use a VPN on public wifi? Well, the answer is yes, but only if you choose a reputable VPN service. You see, not all VPNs are alike and many of them use weak encryption. Be particularly wary about using free VPNs that often do the opposite of what theyre supposed to do collect the personal information of users and sell them to third parties.
This is where ClearVPN comes in a premium VPN service thats fast and extremely secure. We use AES 256 bit encryption the same protocol used by banks and government organizations to safeguard their data.
It also helps that ClearVPN is extremely user friendly and you can start using it by going through a few simple steps:
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Some Snooping Is Still Possible
While public Wi-Fi is now much more private, its still not completely private. For example, if youre browsing the web, you might end up on an HTTP site eventually. A malicious hotspot could have tampered with that web page as it was sent to you, and other people on the public Wi-Fi network would be able to monitor your communications with that sitewhich web page youre looking at on it, the exact content of the web page youre looking at, and any messages or other data you upload.
Even when using HTTPS, theres still a bit of snooping potential. Encrypted DNS isnt yet widespread, so other devices on the network can see your devices DNS requests.;When you connect to a website, your device contacts its configured DNS server over the network and finds the IP address connected to a website. In other words, if youre connected to a public Wi-Fi network and browsing the web, someone else nearby could monitor which websites you visit.
However, snooper wouldnt be able to see the specific web pages you were loading on that HTTPS site. For example, theyd know that you were connected to howtogeek.com but not which article you were reading. They would also be able to see some other information, such as the amount of data being transferred back and forthbut not the contents of the data.
Public Wifi VPN The Ultimate Solution
The important most factor that protects your online activity and device is to get a Wi-Fi VPN. Nothing gives you the best online protection than a VPN because it complete hides you on the internet and none would ever know that you exist online.
Further, tourist is an easier target for cybercriminals because theyre constantly wanting to share updates on social media and therefore require an internet connection. As a result, tourists become frequent victims of this hack and all of their data is stolen. A recommended advice, always use a VPN when traveling abroad.
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Ivacy Best VPN For Torrenting
Stream anything and anywhere with Ivacy. It keeps you entirely safe when using the internet on public Wi-Fi with 256-bit encryption. It also keeps your online data secure with enhanced security and stops 3rd party spying.
Ivacy VPN is also among the very few VPNs that offer a strict zero log policy. In terms of compatibility, Ivacy works on iOS, Android and even on routers. This way, you never have to worry about having your WiFi connection hacked. Check out the detailed Ivacy review for more information.
Deactivate Wifi If You Don’t Need It
It may be convenient to have your wireless connection always active. However, remember this also means that your devices continue to communicate in the background. That not only reduces battery life but it also a possible security risk. Therefore, it is best practice to keep your data trail as small as possible which is why it is recommended to deactivate WiFi if you dont need it. That also prevents that your devices connect to any public hotspots without your knowledge.
If you follow these guidelines and encrypt your traffic with a secure VPN like Perfect Privacy, you are secured against common threats in public networks. The integrated firewall protection in the Perfect Privacy client also protects your anonymity: Your IP address never reveals your geographical location.
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Common Public Wifi Safety Issues
We might think that a password-protected public network is secure. But if the password is available to anyone who asks, how could it possibly help your security? Even worse, a lot of public WiFi safety threats do not even require the hacker to join the network.
A common trick that hackers use is called the Evil Twin. If you see a hotspot with the name of a café or the words FREE AIRPORT WIFI, do you think twice about joining? Criminals can set up hotspots with innocent names using inexpensive, store-bought devices. They then steal the data of everyone connecting to their so-called free WiFi. Verify that the network is safe. If you cant, its better to be safe than sorry.
Another very common hacking trick is called the man-in-the-middle attack. This involves a criminal on the same hotspot inserting themselves between you and the rest of the internet and compromising your public WiFi security. Instead of connecting to your favorite online shop or online bank, the hacker may instead connect you to a page that looks similar. You might think you are entering your username and password into a safe place but are in fact feeding them straight to the hacker.
How Secure Is Wi
The WiFi protocol is the most sought after entry-point that cybercriminals use to infiltrate to get access to your online communications, activities, and data. If your WiFi password is easy to guess, its also easier for them to get in. Most startlingly, hackers manage to do this without putting a single step inside your home. Weak WiFi protocols and authentication methods will likely make it very easy for any threat actor to get into your entire home network without them being physically there.
As technology progresses, our dependency on reliable, secure Wi-Fi wireless networks via a router or any device increases. A secure Wi-Fi connection works by encrypting your internet activities with AES 256-bit encryption. If you add a VPN network on top of your WiFi connection, you are assured complete security and privacy, as data is transmitted via a secure tunnel, thereby keeping you safe.
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Set Up The VPN On Your Device
In terms of using public Wi-Fi networks, you probably access those via your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. So, youll be happy to know that ExpressVPN covers all those devices and then some more. For additional information, heres;;on 60+ on its supported devices.;
Keep in mind that youll need to use a VPN on a per-device basis. So, if you wish to use a VPN on public WiFi to protect your MacBook, you need to install ExpressVPN for macOS. If you want to use your iPhone for that purpose, you need ExpressVPNs iOS app. You get the point.;
Lastly, well remind you that ExpressVPN supports;up to 5 simultaneous connections. Even though you can install ExpressVPN on as many devices as you want, you can connect to servers from up to 5 devices at the same time. That should be more than plenty to secure any public WiFi out there.;
Why It Is Not Safe To Use Public Wifi
Our devices are perhaps at their most vulnerable when connected to a public hotspot. This is because on a public network your device and traffic are vulnerable to the hotspot owner, and in some cases anyone else inside. In essence, this means that the websites that you visit and all unencrypted information that you send can be seen by anyone in the same café or airport lounge.
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What Is Public Wi
We’re all familiar with Wi-Fi, and the convenience it affords. Technically, Wi-Fi refers to a technology that enables computers and other devices to connect to the Internet and communicate wirelessly. Wi-Fi is configured using a wireless adapter to create a “hotspot.” Once a connection is established, users within range of the hotspot can connect to the Internet network.
Wireless networks are located either in the home, which is generally referred to as a “closed network,” or in public places, which can be open or closed depending on the security settings in place. Public Wi-Fi is often unsecured, posing security risks to users.
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Sign Up For The Chosen VPN Service
Once you review your options, its time to get your VPN subscription. In other words, feel free to;proceed to ExpressVPNs website. Once you get there, pick Get ExpressVPN, and youll see a selection of available plans. Keep in mind that long-term plans come with steep discounts, so dont rush and review your options in detail.
Then, provide your email address and pick a payment method. Once you supply the required information and once your payment is processed, expect to receive an email from ExpressVPN. Your VPN subscription will be now active, so lets show you how to get started with the VPN.
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Signs You May Be Logged On To A Rogue Wi
Devices look for known Wi-Fi networks, and hackers can use this to their advantage.
An attackers rogue Wi-Fi hotspot can pretend to act as your home network or as a public network that you might come across at a coffee shop or airport, for example. Instead of connecting to a real public Wi-Fi hotspot, your device connects to the attackers fake hotspot. This means the attackers network is between your device and the actual Wi-Fi network, so theyre able to see your online traffic.
Heres another tactic. A hacker creates a public Wi-Fi network called Free Wi-Fi and waits for victims to join. A lot of people likely will try to connect, especially if free Internet service is being offered.
And heres one more tactic. You might be away from home at a coffee shop, for instance and suddenly your computer shows that you’re connected to your home network. Chances are, someone could have intercepted your computers broadcast request.
In some cases, you might try to connect to a website, such as your bank or a favorite social media website, that you know should be encrypted the web address begins with https. But the page is rendering in http. That means someone may be performing a man-in-the-middle attack and serving you the unprotected http version of the site in hopes of capturing your login credentials.
Why You Should Use A VPN On Public Wifi
by LeVar Battle | Nov 21, 2017 | Home + Mobile
Working remotely? It only takes a moment on a free WiFi connection for a hacker to access your personal accounts. While complimentary WiFi is convenient, protecting your connection with a VPN is the best way to stay safe on public networks, keeping your data and browsing history secure.;
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