Most of us use public wireless networks to access the internet regularly. But not everyone understands the risks involved or thinks about security on public Wi-Fi networks. Connecting to Wi-Fi can be handy when checking your social networks, reading emails, searching on Google, among other quotidian tasks. But wireless networks in public places such as cafes, restaurants, libraries, or hotels can put your device and personal data in grave danger.
Wi-Fi networks are not as secure as we’d like to believe. They have many vulnerabilities, some of them well-known. Additionally, cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated and audacious every day.
In this article, you’ll understand why it can be dangerous to use public wireless networks, the risks you assume when doing so, the main threats lurking out there, and, most importantly, what you can do to avoid them.
Why is public Wi-Fi dangerous?
While Wi-Fi networks are a convenient way to browse the web, they can put your safety and privacy at risk.
The primary problem with public Wi-Fi is most networks simply aren’t secure as one might expect. And there are some fundamental reasons for that.
In the first place, many public wireless networks run over outdated equipment and software.
The second problem relates to the network security itself. Maybe for technical limitations or due to misconfiguration, some networks use below the average security measures.
Finally, and yet more dangerous, is the risk of joining a malicious rogue network, by chance, and getting hacked.
We’ll get into more details on those three issues later in this article. But, for now, it’s crucial to give you a brief idea of the inherent weaknesses of public Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi vulnerabilities: how safe is public Wi-Fi?
The average public Wi-Fi out there offers weak network security and obsolete data encryption. In other words, they can be really dangerous.
Old wireless routers will hardly support cutting-edge security standards, as they didn’t exist when those routers were fabricated. On the other side, the lack of regular firmware (device’s native software) updates gives known security vulnerabilities a long life-cycle.
So, many public Wi-Fi networks still use the wireless encryption protocol (WEP), an obsolete security standard (and an easily hackable one). Moreover, even the dominant and more advanced Wi-Fi protected access (WPA) has its own reported and well-documented vulnerabilities
What are the security risks and dangers of using public Wi-Fi?
Although they might have an idea, people usually don’t know the real risks they are taking on public unsecured networks. When you find yourself at the mercy of a cybercriminal, not only your digital presence is in danger. Such misfortune may jeopardize your whole life.
A digital scammer can put you in serious trouble. Criminals can collect sensitive personal information like street addresses, names, IDs, social security numbers, login credentials, and significant passwords. It only depends on how careless you might have been.
At this point, you can easily imagine the potentially devastating outcomes. In possession of such data, they can “side jack” your logged-in session and impersonate you, taking complete control of your social profiles and service accounts. Further on, they can break into your online banking account, stealing your money and other economic assets.
In extreme cases, the consequences can be as harmful as identity theft, financial fraud, and crime imputation.
By now, it’s possible you’re worried and shocked at the same time. And suddenly, a question might pop into your head: how is that possible?
What malicious methods do public Wi-Fi hackers use?
Combine utterly negligent internet users with an unsecured network environment, and you’ll have a perfect playground for hackers. Unfortunately, that’s what makes places like cyber cafes, shopping malls, libraries, and airports prolific grounds for exploits and cyber attacks.
There are many malicious techniques cybercriminals apply to trick Wi-Fi users. These are the most common and dangerous ones:
Man-in-the-middle attack
A man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack is a scam where a hacker uses a malicious gizmo to intercept the traffic data on vulnerable networks. This gadget acts like an intermediary hotspot or a middle-man between the victim’s device and the visited website’s server.
It might sound like it was a sophisticated technique, but unfortunately, it’s straightforward and accessible.
All they need is an unsecured wireless network (you might be hopping on) and a “Wi-Fi pineapple” gadget. Actually, any teenager with minimal computer skills can get one from big online retailers for less than 100 bucks and become an attacker .
Evil twin attack
Hackers take advantage of people’s lack of cybersecurity knowledge to trick them into a scam known as the Evil twin attack.
Simply put, they use deceptive tactics to make users connect to rogue Wi-Fi networks artificially created by the attackers instead of legitimate local businesses. Unfortunately, it’s easy to find free, open-source tools suitable for this task.
When you connect to the fake network, the hacker can eavesdrop on your activity and traffic sent back and forth. The attacker can then capture sensitive data [5] and use it in many nefarious ways, such as impersonation, identity theft, and financial fraud.
Malware injection
Hackers can inject malicious codes (malware) into your device’s system through sworn hotspots. I mean all kinds of coded menaces such as computer viruses, trojan horses, spyware, worms, and ransomware. Once infected, the network will spread the virus.
The possible consequences range from data-stealing to attackers taking total control over your laptop or smartphone.
After gaining access, a cybercriminal can corrupt your system, resulting in financial and data losses, or remain silent, sneaking in search of a way to benefit from the hack.
Network packet sniffing
Another dangerous yet common practice with a strange name is packet sniffing. The sniffing part here refers to the data packets, pieces of information sent within web traffic. They might carry any information, including sensitive data and passwords.
When unencrypted, packets can be easily collected and read by anyone using free software known as a network protocol analyzer.
Although those tools were initially created to help with network security testing, you know, sometimes the medicine and the venom have the same formula.
How to use public Wi-Fi safely?
When it comes to preventing this type of scam or attack, you can usually take three distinct paths. But, like most things in cybersecurity, you’d better go through every one of them, as they complement each other.
To hit the ground running, start by eliminating bad habits and taking proper precautions beforehand. But keep in mind those are just additional steps to enhance your safety on public Wi-Fi. The most significant action you can take to protect yourself is to use advanced security tools.
As for my recommendations, I will try to order safety measures from the most influential ones to those with a complementary impact. For that reason, we’re going to talk software first.
Cybersecurity tools
Use a VPN
Right off the bat, you should install a VPN client on all your wireless devices. That is the most efficient way to secure your connections on public networks and demands little effort to set up (such as signing up for a reliable provider, downloading and installing the app wherever you want to use it).