Beware of Public WiFi

Public Wi-Fi is commonly available at many places today such as cafes, airports, trains, and many other locations. However, there is a growing concern about its security as the number of attacks targeting the public Wi-Fi users have also increased during the recent years. There are some key security issues with public Wi-Fi networks. 

• Man-in-the-Middle Attacks 

Attacker steal/edit information by redirecting your traffic to a device in between your device and the destination. They can steal your credit card details, login details/passwords, personal details and many more.  

• Malware Infections 

Attacks can infect public Wi-Fi networks with malware which then infect your devices when you connect to these networks resulting in ransomware or information theft including login credentials.  

• Eavesdropping or sniffing  

Attackers can eavesdrop or sniff your network traffic when you are on a public Wi-Fi network with the help of cheap/free software. They can monitor your web usage and steel your login credentials or sensitive data.  

If you cannot avoid using public Wi-fi there are some measures you can take to increase your security: 

• Don’t access your personal or financial information.
• Pay attention to warnings and alerts for insecure websites.
• Change your device’s settings so it doesn’t automatically connect to nearby Wi-Fi.
• If available, use a VPN . 

A good alternative to public Wi-Fi is Eduroam Wi-Fi provided by the university. Some of the key benefits are, 

• It is entirely free to use.
• Eduroam’s security is far better than the public Wi-Fi networks. It uses strong encryption and good authentication methods. 
• It is available on multiple platforms such as Windows, Linux, MAC OS, iOS and Android.
• You can use your Eduroam account at many other institutions that providing Eduroam without any further setup.