To protect your safety and privacy when using public Wi-Fi, consider following this checklist:
- Never share personal or financial information over an open Wi-Fi connection. Your data is inherently unsecured and can be intercepted by hackers or malicious actors.
- Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs encrypt your data traffic, making it more difficult for anyone to snoop on your data.
- Be wary of public Wi-Fi offered by unfamiliar entities. Some networks may seem legitimate, but may be man-in-the-middle attacks designed to intercept your data.
- Always run up-to-date security software. Running a reputable anti-virus program to detect viruses or malware is crucial. t
- Disable automatic connections. Browsers may remember unsecured public Wi-Fis and attempt to reconnect to them. Disable your browser's ability to remember networks, and turn off Wi-Fi autoscanning. t
- Enable two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts.
- Log out when you're done. Logging out of your accounts ensures that your data will stay more secure even if the network is compromised.