How Safe is it to Use the Wi-Fi at Starbucks?

With over 20,000 locations around the world, Starbucks is a common sighting no matter where you travel. One of the perks of visiting this ubiquitous coffee chain is, without a doubt, its free Wi-Fi. Many of us use Starbucks’ internet to do work on the go. However, hackers can — and do — use unsecured Wi-Fi networks to steal our information.

Hackers will even try to uninstall your DFNDR app if they gain access to your phone, in order to remove the protection around your information. To prevent hackers from disabling your phone’s security system, enable the Advanced Protection feature now:

The bottom line is no, since it’s a public network. If they wanted to, hackers could get onto Starbucks’ network and steal your information. However, you can still check the security of your current network by clicking below:

No. Most of the time, when you use public Wi-Fi, your device won’t get hacked. Plus, even if you do get hacked, hackers can’t learn much about you — most of your important data is encrypted. Generally, all hackers can get from you on public networks are which times you logged into various websites. It’s also simple for hackers to get access to anything you type. So, if you type any sensitive emails while on a public network, be careful.

3) How can I keep my information safe while on Starbucks Wi-Fi?

Even if it’s rare, it still makes sense to take precautions. There are lots of ways to keep yourself safe on a public network. The most basic way of keeping your information safe is to make sure you see the lock icon in your URL bar. This means that your data is encrypted — and it will be nearly impossible for a hacker to access it. Further, a virtual private network (VPN) extends your private internet network across a public internet connection.