The hotel WiFi hotspot is essential when travel abroad for most people. But do you know it could be dangerous to use? By using hotel Wifi, you could get your identity exposed and your online banking details stolen by using unsafe WiFi.
The drawback of free public WiFi
It is nice to have free WiFi while drinking a coffee in your favorite cafe house. it comes as an absolute necessity when go for business and leisure in foreign countries. In fact, many travelers consider having a fast WiFi hotspot is even more important than any other services, like hotel’s location, breakfast or room service.
That’s why almost all hotels today provide WiFi access to their guests nowadays. However, free internet connection brings the convenience of being able to surf the Internet,but it also has its drawback: no online privacy any more.
Does Hotel WiFi secure?
As we know that the main job of the hotel is to offer you convenience and comfort, but not cybersecurity. Thus they will not put extra time and money in protecting your online security.
In some cases, to connect hotel’s WiFi, you’ll be asked to enter your room number and a password created for that particular room. However, the responsibility for online security relies on the one weak password, which is easy to crack for the hackers. Some even do not have to do the authorization entirely allowing anyone to connect their network.
The weak protection is one of the main reason that makes WiFi wide open to identity theft and other forms of cybercriminals.
Malicious actors also like to distribute malware through unsafed hotel WiFi connections. By using WiFi in hotels, hackers distribute malware via phishing emails or files, they can even tailor to each victim making it to be highly convinced.
So when you connect to an unsecured WiFi, you could be exposing your sensitive data for hackers. Then can use a variety of techniques to intercept your device and steal your data.
If you connect to unsecured WiFi, every step you take online can be sniffed by malicious hackers. So anyone who intends to invade an unprotected hotel WiFi connection can see your login credentials, online banking accounts, and more.
So Do not checking your bank account on hotel WiFi, unless you are using reliable encryption tools like a VPN to protect your data.
Is there a way to stay safe on your hotel’s WiFi?
Since hotel WiFi is insecure as we thought, it is important for you to protect your online privacy and security yourself from any possible thieves.
-Do not join a new network without acknowledgment. Hackers create rogue hotspots to trick users into thinking they are legitimate. If you see two similar WiFi names, ask the hotel’s staff which is the real one.
–Do not log into your online banking accounts on a hotel WiFi, and use your mobile data for financial transactions.
–Enable your firewall. A firewall provides your computer a strong gateway defense, which will ensure you stay out of trouble in case anyone attacks your hotel network.
-Encrypt your traffic with a VPN. VPN is your best and simplest encryption tools. It will hide your true IP address and encrypt your online communication. With a VPN, no one can see any of your online activities.
How can a VPN protect me on hotel WiFi?
In fact, VPN protection reaches far beyond an unsecured WiFi. A VPN establishes an encrypted virtual tunnel between your device and the server. This server is a middle server between the Internet and your system, that means the website interacts with the VPN server instead of your device and the server communicates with your device. Thus, no one can snoop which website you are browsing or what file you download.
Why you need a VPN service when travel abroad
Usually the hotel uses an open Wi-Fi connection which makes you are vulnerable to sniffing and data theft while you are using it. Therefore, a reliable VPN service comes in hand when you don’t want to use your mobile data but also don’t want to expose your sensitive information. And VPNs can bring you more than security too.
When you have a VPN app on your device, you will also get:
-Watch your favorite TV shows and movies. Setting your location to your home country and all the enjoy media content just like you were at home.
-Bypass the geo-restriction. Some countries restrict access to specific websites, and others ban entire social media platforms like Facebook. But you can bypass those restrictions and access to the content you want with a VPN all over the world.
Change your location. You can make yourself virtually appear anywhere you want by setting any of the countries like Germany or Japan. For those who try to track you, it will look like the internet connection is coming from that particular country.
-Browse safely on your hotel’s WiFi and everywhere else. A best VPN secures your Internet traffic, protecting you from hackers.
