It’s a common scenario: You drop into the local coffee shop and having a few extra minutes on your hands, you pull out your phone or your laptop and fire it up. Then the next thing you do is look for the free WiFi, and then you… should stop!

Unless of course, you feel like sharing everything you have on your computer or phone with a hacker that is. Then, knock yourself out.

Wi-Fi hotspots are seemingly everywhere now and as we become increasingly used to the convenience and access to the “free” Internet, our awareness about how these are happy hunting grounds for hackers must increase as well.

You probably know people who have had their bank accounts accessed or had mystery charges pop up on their credit cards. How many times have you got a notification from a friend on Facebook or Twitter telling you, “someone has been impersonating” them online? Those people, and hopefully you are not one of them, most likely fell prey to a public WiFi hotspot scam.

It’s human nature to always seek the path of least resistance – and simply clicking on the WiFi without the lock is what so many people. However, when they do this they are potentially putting much of their private information into a hacker’s lap – or rather, laptop. Check out the video below:

How Easy Is It To Get Hacked on Public Wi-Fi?

Ya – it’s that easy. If you are in a place with free WiFi, and there is an available network with no password requirement there is a chance that network is not what it seems to be. It’s a simple rule really. Like, look both ways before crossing the road, only log onto a network in a public place that requires a password.
Wait! You’re not safe yet
Next – look for the lock on your browser. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client—typically a web server (website) and a browser, or a mail server and a mail client like Outlook or Mail. SSL allows sensitive information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and login credentials to be transmitted securely.

HTTP vs. HTTPS

Normally, without a SSL certificate, and a standard HTTP site, data sent between browsers and web servers is sent in plain text—leaving you vulnerable to eavesdropping. If an attacker is able to intercept all data being sent between a browser and an HTTP web server, they can see and use that information to steal your stuff.

Now all browsers have the capability to interact with secured HTTPS web servers using the SSL protocol. However, the browser and the server need what is called an SSL Certificate to be able to establish a secure connection so make sure you look for the lock and only interact with secure HTTPS sites.

That might not be enough though

Let’s say you are a constant traveller or a telecommuter who does a lot of work out of a known secure environment. You might want to up your security game and get a VPN. A VPN or a Virtual Private Network hides your IP address by encrypting your connection and allowing you to browse online anonymously. In most cases, not even your Internet Service Provider is able to track what exactly you are up to while online. Here’s a comprehensive look at VPN’s and there ranking.

Stay Up To Date

You might have noticed that things are changing at a rather fast pace these days. Considering the iPhone was introduced just ten years ago, imagine where we are going to be ten years from now. And over that same period of time, there will always be those who want to take advantage of the inevitable cracks in security. That’s why it is invaluable to try to keep on top of the latest developments if you have emersed yourself in this tech-rich world.

The bottom line is simple – we are all far too trusting in our technology to keep us safe. Yet, taking some simple precautions can improve our chances of not being taken advantage of. Just as we have all became obsessed with protecting our PINS at the ATM, we have to extend that attitude to our online habits as well.
Free WiFi sounds good at the coffee shop or the lunch spot, but just like there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as free WiFi.