The Risks of Public WiFi: How to Stay Safe

The Internet penetration of Nigeria is about 45.5% of her population which has significantly increased the number of people that have access to social. What about the risks of public WiFi? It is on record that an average Nigerian spends about 3 hours, and 45 minutes on social media daily. The demand and cost for  Internet data have risen, and many are now looking for the slightest opportunities to reduce how much they spend by utilizing the availability of free public WiFi in places like airports, hotels, schools etc.

Free public WiFi is very beneficial for it has helped a lot of people most especially the students who use it for their academic research works.

Before we go deeper into the risks associated with public WiFi, I will explain briefly the technicalities involved in Wifi technology as it were.

What is Wifi?

The full meaning of Wi-Fi is Wireless Fidelity. However, Wifi is now a trademarked term coined by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). WiFi is no longer an acronym rather it's now a brand name associated with wireless networking technology.

WiFi is a wireless networking technology that allows devices to connect to the Internet or communicate with each other without the use of cables or wires. It uses radio waves to transmit data between devices.

How Does WiFi Work?

This networking technology uses certain frequency bands such as 2.4GHZ or 5GHZ. WiFi router or access converts digital data to radio waves and sends them into the air. Whenever WiFi-enabled devices like mobile phophonesaptop and tablet detects radio waves, they will be decoded into digital. The device will send a request to the WiFi router to connect to the network, when connected, the device can send and receive data to and from the Internet or any other devices that are connected to the network.

This network can only be public if it's allowed for the public to have access to it without restrictions, some are passworded and password given while some are without any password. 

The Risks of Public WI-FI: How to Stay Safe

There are lots of security challenges associated with the public WiFi networks. We are going to look at them here.

• Unencrypted  Data: It is very easy for hackers to intercept your sensitive data because public WiFi networks most times don't encrypt data. Whenever you are connected to this kind of network, have at the back of your mind that your data is not safe.
• Man-in-the-Middle-Attacks: Because of the lack of encryption, hackers can position between your device and the network to intercept, modify or even delete your data from the network.
• Malware and Ransomware: If public WiFi network is affected by Malware or Ransomware it simply means that any device that is connected to the network will also be affected. Malware travels from one device to another due to the free movement of data.
• Sniffing and Eavesdropping: This is the easiest place where hackers gather sensitive information like credit card details and passwords. If you value such sensitive information, please avoid public WiFi networks.
• Lack of Firewall: It is good to know that most of the public WiFi networks don't have firewall protection, therefore making it vulnerable for hackers to access your sensitive data.
• Outdated Equipment: Most of the public WiFi networks operate on outdated network equipment. They hardly update their machines thereby making them vulnerable to attack.
• Weak Password: Public networks often use weak or no passwords at all. It's very easy for hackers to gain unauthorized access to the network.
• Lack of Monitoring: Most of the public WiFi networks have no cybersecurity expert monitoring them, making it very easy for hackers to attack the system unnoticed.
• Fake WiFi Hotspot: Mimicking WiFi networks by creating fake hotspots to deceive unsuspecting people into sharing their sensitive information like credit card details and passwords.

10 Ways to Protect your Smartphone from Hackers 

How to Stay Safe Using Public WiFi Networks.

1. Virtual Private Network(VPN): Using a VPN will encrypt your data from hackers, always make sure that you are connected to a reliable VPN before connecting to public WiFi networks. Even when the network is vulnerable, your data will be safe with a VPN.
2. Verify Network Authenticity: Before you connect to any WiFi network, make sure you verify the authenticity to avoid being tricked into connecting to a phishing network.
3. Update Software Regularly: Ensure that all your device software is updated to the latest version to enable it to take care of all the emerging cyber threats.
4. Strong Password: Always protect your devices with a very strong password that will be difficult to crack. Password can only be strong if you combine upper case, lower case, number, alphabet and special characters. E.g. (@DFcg403e6?).
5. Two-Factor Authentication: Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your device. Activating it on your device is very important. 
6. Avoid Sensitive Activities: Avoid all sensitive activities whenever you are connected to public WiFi networks. Activities like visiting your online banking platforms, credit card account and health information. 
7. Use Firewall: It's very important to enable the firewall on your devices when connecting to public WiFi networks. 
8. Monitor Your Account: Always monitor your account for any suspicious activities, to easily detect them before they cause serious damage to your device and data. 

Haven knows all the risks involved in using public WiFi networks, so it's pertinent to make sure that you adhere to all the precautions highlighted in this article. Even with The Risks of Public WI-FI, we will continue to utilize the opportunity of connecting to the Internet at a low cost while prioritizing the security of devices and sensitive data before accessing public WiFi networks. 

Stay safe!