Today, we will share some practic tips on how to keep secure when connecting to public WiFi hotspots. Following the guide below will help you surf the internet with no cybersecurity risks easily.
VPN services help you stay secure online
A good VPN can help you stay safe online. Some of the most direct ways it keeps you safe online are:
- Data transfer via VPN is completely secure because of the point-to-point protocol. The authenticity of the data is checked on both ends of the connection making tampering or infiltrating the data is impossible.
- VPN services utilize encryption protocol. Even if someone intercepts your traffic, they will not be able to access the data. With the encryption, your data will be entirely secure even when connecting to public WiFi hotspots. VPN providers use OpenVPN, L2TP, or PPTP protocol to establish a secure VPN tunnel between your device and the sites you access.
- Most of the VPN providers will not store any of your traffic. It means that no one will see your online activities, such as what sites you visit, what video you watch or what files you download.
Therefore, if you want to keep yourself secure when connecting to public WiFi hotspots, a VPN is the best option for you to surf without any cybersecurity risks. VPN download
Use lookup services
There is a secondary check which you can perform to stay safe when using public WiFi hotspots. Lookup tools is a solution to reverse check phone numbers, perform people search, and lookup addresses.
One of the main dangers of a public WiFi hotspot is that you do not know the entity or the person providing it. One of the better ways to get to know the public WiFi hotspot is to look up the address in the vicinity by using lookup services like Spokeo, Whitepages, and AnyWho. With it you can check if the WiFi hotspot is legit , or it is a trick to attract you into fraud.
You can also opt for the people search services or email lookup to get to find more information about the owner of the organization before making your decision. It will help you learn more about the provider of the public WiFi hotspot before connecting to it.
Additional precautions which you should take to protect your online security include:
Use the complex passwords
Using a complex password with a mix of uppercase and lowercase characters, numbers, and symbols is the first step to protect your account being hacked. Many websites these days also offer two-factor authentication that you should not ignore.
Activate the firewall
Some people disable the firewall in there computer as it can be restrictive and bring certain inconveniences. But it is advisable to keep your firewall activated when using unknown WiFi hotspots.
Update the operating system
Another tip is to update your devices’ operating systems to the latest version to make sure that all the known security vulnerabilities are bashed up. As a result, it will be hard for hacker to break into your system.
Avoid downloading from suspicious websites
Download a document and or file from a trusted website. Using services like Google Drive check all their files automatically before download is a safe pick. You can opt for a site like Virustotal to check the authenticity of the file before opening it. It will ensure that you are not downloading any malwares.
Install with licensed software
We all know that unlicensed software can save a lot of money. However, you can never be sure it’s safe. It can contain backdoors, spy on you, intercept your data, etc. Hence, it is better to always download apps and software from the official source. This will ensure that there is no malware or backdoors in your programs.
Be a selective web surfer
Instead of visiting any websites or clicking on shady advertisements and offers that you receive in your email spam, you must be a selective, conscious internet surfer. If you only stay on the safe websites and have a browser antivirus plug-in turned on, your chances to catch cyber disease massively decrease.
Also, most antivirus programs come along with web monitoring plug-ins. It will ensure that whenever you visit a dangerous website, a warning pops up. As a result, you can avoid visiting that website in the first place.
Transact only on secure modes
If you plan on buying anything online or paying for a service, it is better to do so using a secure payment gateway. It will ensure that your payment information such as banking credentials is entirely safe.
Conclusions on how to stay secure on public WiFi hotspots
These are some essential tips to stay secure online. These will work whether you’re on your private network or a public WiFi hotspot. These tips are easily to done and attainable feat.
With our security guide, you can feel secure when connect to a public WiFi hotspot. You can follow the tips to connect to public WiFi hotspots from any devices . It is time to take your online security and privacy seriously.
