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Four Ways to Stay Safe when using Public Wi-Fi

Travel is becoming more popular these days. It is possible to travel to distant locations for a trip or simply go to the local cafe to soak up the atmosphere. It's time to reintroduce the old, traditional ways of doing things.



As with all other things, we have to understand how small talk works again. ) Good security practices for public Wi-Fi may need some refresher, too.



It is possible for people to monitor what sites you access and this is an privacy issue as well as a potential security risk. Here are four quick ways to protect yourself when you're out and about.



Be mindful about what networks you join



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First, you need to be cautious about the public networks you choose to join. Anyone can scan traffic passing through a network. All they need to do is install a program that captures data packets from their computer. Your personal information could be accessed by exchanging unencrypted data with websites.



Avoiding open networks that are run by unknowing administrators should be your main goal. You want to pass over obvious bad apples. Department stores, hotels and airports are certain bets - they don't set up their Wi-Fi for the purpose of monitoring the users. (At the very least, not to find addresses of residence or credit card details, or national ID numbers. Also , pay attention to the spelling of names for networks-don't fall for fraudsters.



Are you unsure if you're connected to the official Wi-Fi in your area? The majority of public Wi-Fi operated by large organizations immediately ask you to accept terms and conditions before allowing you onto the network. However, smart small businesses require a password to be shared with customers.



There is no need to protect yourself regardless of the fact that anyone can see the traffic on networks. That's where the remaining three tips in this article come in. Remember that public Wi-Fi is available to anyone regardless of whether they charge for access (e.g. in airports and hotels).



Make sure that your firewall is turned on



It's similar to leaving your computer's ports for TCP/UDP open. You'll need a way to shield the ports from traffic requests, effectively blocking access of the doors so that nobody can enter and access them. This is what firewall software does.



Windows 10 and 11 should default to a firewall. However, if you've been messing around with your settings, make sure it is still on before connecting to Wi-Fi in public. Just head to your Settings app, then enter Firewall & Network protection into the search field.



Use HTTPS everywhere



When visiting websites, be sure they're transmitting data over an encrypted connection. Serverlist101.Com Websites today should utilize this type of secure connection. However certain older websites (or completely malicious ones) don't.



Your browser should notify you that you're not, however, you can check manually as well. Look for https near the beginning of the website address.



Instead, you can use an unsecure HTTP connection (notice the absence of an "s") to exchange information with the website. Anyone connected to your network can see the traffic. This includes sensitive information such as user names, passwords and payment info, addresses, and the like. This Cloudflare page gives more details about how it works.



Naturally, when you're connected to the public Wi-Fi network, you're sharing the network with a lot of people who could observe what you're doing without knowing who among them might be pursuing bad intentions. You won't be considered an easy prey if use a secure connection.



You can also download the HTTPS Everywhere extension from the Electronic Freedom Foundation for additional security. It is available for Chrome, Firefox and Edge.



Install a VPN



As we mentioned, public Wi-Fi users can't be aware of the details of data exchanged when you visit secure websites. However, they will be able to be aware that you're on the site.



It's not a big deal whether you're using Google or TikTok. But take it to checking your bank account balance on your PC or phone and the stakes are raised.



The best VPN overall



You can't always wait to get home to attend to certain business. To protect your privacy, you can direct your smartphone's or PC's internet activities through virtual private networks (VPN). To utilize one, you first connect to Wi-Fi, then to the VPN. Once both connections have been established, you can continue with normal internet browsing. Your entire traffic flows through the VPN's servers. Someone who is monitoring network traffic will only see your computer's ability to send and receive data through the VPN and not the websites and services you visit during the session.



It is essential to trust your VPN for this strategy to perform. Most free VPNs are not reliable and don't always guarantee your privacy as well as paid services. Make sure you use vetted providers like those we have listed in our top free VPN roundup. It is recommended to upgrade to one of our recommended paid VPNs to speed up speeds and access more servers across the globe. If you are traveling internationally, you will need to have access to worldwide servers. If you don't have local servers, your internet browsing experience will be slowed due to having to route your traffic across the ocean.


Website: https://serverlist101.com/