Best Practices Protecting Your Information While Using Wi-Fi
Technology provides us with the convenience of being able to work and connect from anywhere that has a Wi-Fi connection. While this has provided great flexibility, it also requires an additional level of security awareness. Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops, libraries, airports, hotels, universities and other public places are convenient, but often they’re not secure. If you connect to a Wi-Fi network and send information through websites or mobile apps, that data may be intercepted and read by someone else.
If you use an unsecured network to log in to an unencrypted site, other users on the network can see what you see and what you send. Your personal information, private documents, contacts, family photos and even your login credentials could be up for grabs.
Here are a few tips on how you can protect your information when using Wi-Fi:
-
When using a hotspot, log in or send personal information only to websites you know are fully encrypted. To be secure, your entire visit to each site should be encrypted — from the time you log in to the site until you log out. Look for https in the URL to know a site is secure.
-
Don’t stay permanently signed in to accounts. When you’ve finished using an account, log out.
-
Do not use the same password on different websites. It could give someone who gains access to one of your accounts access to many of your accounts.
-
Many web browsers alert users who try to visit fraudulent websites or download malicious programs. Pay attention to these warnings, and keep your browser and security software up-to-date.
-
Consider changing the settings on your mobile device so it doesn’t automatically connect to nearby Wi-Fi. That way, you have more control over when and how your device uses public Wi-Fi. Here is a link that provides information on how to update your privacy settings on popular devices and online services Manage Your Privacy Settings.
If you regularly access online accounts through Wi-Fi hotspots, consider using a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs encrypt traffic between your computer and the internet, even on unsecured networks. You can get a personal VPN account from a VPN service provider. VPN options are available for mobile devices as well and can encrypt information you send through mobile apps.