Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi Networks

Keeping Safe on Public Wi-Fi

With all of the new mobile devices and strict data limits more and more people are relying on free Wi-Fi in public places.  However, what most people don't think about is the risk that is involved.  It is not well advertised that these Wi-Fi networks may allow for hackers to easily pray on shared information while connected.  So the next time you decide to hit the coffee shop for some work make sure to take precautions.  The New York Times article How Not to Pray the Price for Free Wi-Fi provides some helpful tips for staying safe while navigating these free networks.  

These tips include:

1. Make sure the sites that you visit have "https" in front of the URL.  This means that the page is encrypted and that other people on the network cannot see what you are doing on your device.  

2. Use a virtual private network (VPN).  This will encrypt all of your online traffic.

3. Sign-up for two step verification.  Sites like Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and others have begun to offer this option.  This is when a site will often ask for a password as well as a specific code that was sent only to you.  The problem with this can be if you use the same password for multiple sites, hackers could figure this out and thus access other accounts that aren't set up with this two-step verification process.

4. Bring only what you need and turn off what you are not using.  This means to not have all of your sites up and running while on public networks.

In addition to these four tips it is also important to worry about the safety of your actual devices in public.  Do not underestimate the ability of someone to snatch your device and take off with it.  So remember to keep your online traffic safe as well as your device in your sight at all times.