A publicly accessible wireless internet network in for example a supermarket or your local town hall is by definition unsafe. However, you can make it more secure by using a VPN app. VPN apps can be downloaded free of charge onto a smartphone, tablet or laptop. The use of VPN apps is just one tip for safe surfing given to VRT News by the cybersecurity expert Eddy Willems.
Culture
Want to be sure of that publicly accessible Wi-Fi is safe?
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Eddy Willems told VRT News that “When I'm at the airport, I always switch my VPN on. Other people should get into the habit of doing this too. This way you can use public Wi-Fi network safely. Publicly accessible Wi-Fi is by definition unsafe."
Publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks can be found all over the place these days. The networks are often available free-of-charge at locations such as airports, town halls and libraries. You can also find free public Wi-Fi networks on the streets of some town centres. But how can you be sure that the network you are using is bona fide and you have not inadvertently logged on to a hacker's network?
5 tips for safe surfing on a publicly accessible network
1) Enter the username and password correctly. Make sure you connect to the correct Wi-Fi network. Usually, the username and password are clearly indicated in a public space. Be on your guard "Because a hacker could be sitting next to (for example) the city hall, emitting a Wi-Fi signal with the username "city hall", but with two “ts” rather than one.
2) Be careful with free on-street Wi-Fi on the street. Free on-street Wi-Fi is OK if it is provided by the local authority. But you still need to be careful, because you could end up logged on to the wrong network. Free Wi-Fi is always safer inside the library or town hall than on the street.
3) Don't bank or shop online, or even check your email while surfing on a public network. It is also better not to perform actions that require you to enter passwords. As soon as you enter a password, you become a “person of interest” becomes interesting for cyber criminals. "Checking your email is also not wise, unless you have already logged in and encrypted your password. If you want to shop, use a banking app or perform actions that require you to enter passwords it is best to switch to 4G or 5G."
4) Use a VPN app on your smartphone. This is a virtual private network app that you can easily and download for free from the Google or Apple Apps store. "This builds a kind of tunnel that protects the connection between your phone or laptop with the Wi-Fi point with which it is connected. No one can see into the tunnel. You can choose when you turn that tunnel on or off. Good (partly) free VPN apps are Privado VPN, Proton VPN and Tunnelbear. ExpressVPN or NordVPN are available for a fee."
5. Install a good security program on your PC. This won't prevent the stealing of passwords, but it will block other avenues to would-be fraudsters. "It is wise to install additional security, such as Norton, G DATA or AVAST."
Finally, when you log in to a public Wi-Fi network, you often must enter personal information. This usually concerns your name and email address. "Companies that have agreements with providers (those who allow you onto their network) could use that data to bombard you with spam. Although in principle this is no longer allowed due to data protection legislation. Sometimes you do not have to enter any data and you have direct access after you have chosen the network and entered the password”.