The risks associated with using unsecured public Wi-Fi are enormous, ranging from the danger of third-parties intercepting your emails, even encrypted messages and login information are not spared. And it could be possible for a cyber-criminal to use the login details to access your other accounts as well.
Nowadays, Wi-Fi access are available in more places than ever, enabling everyone to keep in touch or surf the Web from wherever they happen to be, but definitely, getting online via public Wi-Fi hotspots isn't as safe, as it is simple.
Top 5 Risks associated with Public Wi-Fi hotspots
- Man-in-the-middle (MITM) Attacks: In this attack scenario, an attacker secretly relays or possibly alters a supposed communications between two parties who believe they are communicating directly with each other. And this is mostly possible via public Wi-Fi, because hackers can leverage the unsecure connection to position themselves between the person who is using the Wi-Fi and the connection point.
- Malware over unsecured Wi-Fi: With unsecured Wi-Fi connection, hackers are able to distribute malware easily, and having infected software on your device can be crippling for your business.
- Snooping: This is the act of cybercriminals trying to access everything you are doing online, potentially monitoring all your activities and able to capture login credentials or even hijack your accounts.
- Attacks via ad hocs: Peer-to-peer networks that connect two computers directly are known as ad hocs, and when used over a public Wi-Fi network, the machines are likely to be compromised making it possible for hackers to directly connect to them.
- Exposure to other attack vectors: Asides malware, viruses can wreak havoc all by themselves, especially when connected to a public Wi-Fi.
How to ensure you are protected over Public Wi-Fi Hotspots
While it is generally recommended that businesses should switch their sites and applications to the more secure HTTPS, as HTTPS-enabled websites provide the more critical security and protection against personal information theft.
But making use of a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is the sure thing for individual users, as VPN acts like a tunnel that keeps out prying eyes from interloping into your online activities. It affords you a secure connection to the network, of course, at the same time shielding your activity from cybercriminals on public Wi-Fi hotspots.
What is Ivacy VPN?
Ivacy VPN is a one-size-fits-all solution, that allows you to skip all the hassles associated with finding more than one VPN for the type of experience you crave. It guarantees maximum protection with advanced 256-bit encryption to protect you from hackers, snoopers and even government surveillance.
It offers the most diverse of servers across 50 countries, numbering over 1000 servers in 100+ locations to make your activities undetectable and to access restricted content without any hassles. It comes as a premium software, though there is a free test version, while the premium is pretty cheap, as low as $1.33 per month (for 5 years activation) or $2.25 (for a two year activation).
And the best part, Ivacy has a strict ZERO LOG policy, giving you the total online freedom you've always desired!
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