Tips for secure connection to a public Wi-Fi network

Most vacationers are usually looking for a free Wi-Fi hotspot to connect in order to avoid data charges from mobile operators.

This practice is well-known and widely used, but do we know the proper use of free Wi-Fi hotspots? Here is a list of useful tips from devolo.

The first big step towards a secure connection is choosing the right free Wi-Fi. The connection must be done manually and not automatically. A very common trick of electronic “criminals” is the creation of a network connection similar to a secure network. If you are not careful you can fall into the trap and share your personal data with them.

For the same reason, when traveling, you must disable the auto-connect option on known networks. If you log in automatically, you become a target for hackers who may, for example, have set up a network similar to that of the airport or cafeteria you are using with the same login information. In the worst case, your device will automatically connect to the wrong network without even realize it.

If you use your laptop to connect to public Wi-Fi, you might want to disable file and folder sharing. When you are home, sharing is an easy and convenient way to share files and data between home computers. But when you connect to a public network, it can attract potential attacks. So, you might want to have sharing disabled.

If you need to handle large and important files while you are not at work or at home, you should copy them to portable devices or take them to a USB storage device.

This gives you two great advantages:

• Avoid security risks that you would have downloaded from free Wi-Fi,
• while at the same time escaping from endless hours of downloading.

After all, public networks are not famous for their high speed performance.

Secure and encrypted Internet connections are particularly important and even more important when talking about free public Wi-Fi.Encrypted connections ensure that the transferred data are not readable to other users on the same network. This plays a crucial role when transferring payment information or other personal information.For safer connections, you must use connections known as HTTPS. You can easily recognize them as the browser displays a padlock next to the link you are visiting.

Before your trip, make sure you’ve downloaded the latest updates to all your devices, especially those related to security updates. It’s the only way to make sure that any security gap is closed so that malicious attacks are not a problem when you connect to public networks.