Privacy

How Safe Is It to Use Public, Unprotected Wi-Fi Networks?

Just because public Wi-Fi is free and easy doesn’t mean that it’s safe to use. Whenever you join a public network on your phone, you’re not alone when you’re using it. If a hacker gets access to the public Wi-Fi router then they can use it to access your private information like your credit card numbers, bank passwords, or even social media accounts. You should use the wi-fi check feature to test for speed and security. Click here to check your network:

The Dangers of “Eavesdropping”
When your phone is connected to a public Wi-Fi network, hackers can use a Man-in-the-Middle style attack to eavesdrop on your personal information. With this type of hack, the criminal hacks into the public Wi-Fi router and can “eavesdrop” on your data as it goes from your phone to any website you may be using. So if you log in to your social media accounts on public Wi-Fi the hackers can watch as you put your username and password into the website. This means that the hacker now has that username and password so your account is no longer secure.

Using Virtual Private Network
The only ways to guarantee that your phone will not be hacked is to either stay off of public Wi-Fi altogether or to connect to a virtual private network, or VPN. These virtual private networks encrypt your private information as it goes from your phone to any website you may be using. This means that, even if hackers somehow get into the Wi-Fi router, they will not be able to see your data because it is encrypted and unreadable by others.

Stay Safe Using wi-fi check
wi-fi check is a tool that will verify the download speed and network security of your phone. It can tell you how fast your Internet connection is and whether or not it’s a secure network that your phone is connected to. It’s an important tool to take advantage of when using a public network.

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The dfndr blog is an informative channel that presents exclusive content on security and privacy in the mobile and business world, with tips to keep users protected. Populated by a select group of expert reporters, the channel has a partnership with dfndr lab's security team. Together they bring you, first-notice news about attacks, scams, internet vulnerabilities, malware and everything affecting cybersecurity.