9 Tips to Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi
June 26, 2013Whether you like it or not, we live in an information age, and you can get up-to-the-moment information on everything from news headlines to sports scores to financial accounts at your fingertips. But before you whip out that smartphone or wireless device to look up your checking account balance or stock portfolio, remember that you may not be the only one that sees what you see. Hackers and identity thieves live among us, and unbeknownst to you, they may be using your device to perpetuate unwanted activity or worse yet, stealing your personal information.
With this personal information, thieves can borrow against your name, file tax returns in order to claim your refund, or simply make purchases against your financial accounts. According to a USA Today article, an estimated 130 million programs have been written to steal your personal information, and the cost to businesses for every account number compromised is estimated between $150 to $250. While consumers are generally not liable for unauthorized purchases, the time and aggravation spent trying to clean up the mess can be devastating. If you suspect your device or network has been hacked, here are three things you should do right away: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/03/12/tips-what-to-do-hacked/1981521/.
Thankfully, I haven’t been a victim (at least not to my knowledge), but as my high school economics teacher would always say, “to be forewarned is to be forearmed.” In the spirit of this (along with the prompting of an email I received from the good folks at LifeLock), here are some things you can do to protect yourself from unintended consequences when using public Wi-Fi (courtesy of http://mashable.com/2013/02/06/stay-safe-public-wi-fi/):
1. Turn Off Sharing
Now that my kids have their own iPods, it’s great to be able to share music, pictures, and games, but I had no idea that such preferences make me an easy target for bad guys. With that in mind, I’m sure to turn off sharing capabilities when I’m in the airport or the local coffee house.
2. Get a VPN
The laptop provided by my employer has a VPN connection so wouldn’t it make sense to add a VPN to my personal devices? If you run a lot of traffic through public networks, you may want to look into adding this extra layer of protection to your device(s).
3. Avoid Automatically Connecting to Wi-Fi Hotspots
If your smartphone data plan has limits, you may prefer to use Wi-Fi when it is available, but unless you manually connect, you might be connecting to a predator’s network. Be sure to disable automatic connecting to avoid this.
4. Use SSL
When transferring data via the Internet, be sure the website is using encryption by looking for the letter ‘s’ after the “http” in the URL. Some web browsers like Internet Explorer use the image of a locked padlock (located next to the URL) to let you know when encryption is being used.
5. Use Two-Factor Authentication
This level of security makes it difficult for someone to access your accounts with just information as it typically requires a second form of verification, usually a code sent via text or email to a separate device.
6. Confirm the Network Name
This is an easy one to fall victim to, especially in public places like a coffee shop, hotel, or airport. As you look for a Wi-Fi signal, you may notice several networks within your vicinity. Usually these are just other devices in the area or networks from surrounding businesses, but don’t trust a network by its name. For example, ibahn is a popular Internet provider for hotels so some hotels use ibahn as their network name while others use the name of the hotel itself. When in doubt, ask an associate.
7. Protect Your Passwords
Ideally, you would want to have a unique password for every password-protected website, and then you would change the password every so often, but with so many websites requiring passwords, it can be hard to keep track of them all. If you have too many passwords to keep track of, consider using an online password manager tool. A Google search for online password managers will give you a lengthy list to choose from.
8. Turn On Your Firewall
Most systems will automatically run a firewall, but it never hurts to verify that your firewall is running. Just don’t get upset when it alerts you to incoming traffic from an unverified website. A little annoyance from your browser can save you from a big annoyance if your information is ever compromised.
9. Run Anti-Virus Software
It makes sense that if you’re going to have anti-virus software on your device that you use it routinely. You should update it as often as you use your device, so be sure your program is set for automatic updates.
Perhaps the best form of defense against would-be criminals is good judgment and common sense. As a best practice, avoid accessing password-protected sites like online banking and email when you are away from your home or office. Similarly, when making online purchases, do them from secure locations, and not in the middle of a busy shopping center. When in doubt, turn off your device. No one is going to steal any information when your device is not on.
As I said, to the best of my knowledge I have not had my information compromised over the public airwaves, so to keep my streak alive, I intend to keep my sensitive activity to myself. I suggest that you do the same.