The Dangers of Public Wi-Fi

By Todd Wolinsky

Some of the best things in life are free. Things such as a good night’s sleep, laughing with friends, finding true love, and complimentary Wi-Fi at your local Dunkin Donuts. But like the popular saying goes, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”. As many have found out, free Wi-Fi can often come with a hidden price tag. This ‘hidden price tag’ is not felt by paying extra fees to gain access, but rather experienced through dangers to one’s personal data, location, and security on the web.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Unknown original origin…

Many stores, restaurants, airports, hotels, and college campuses offer free Wi-Fi to the users of their on-site locations. Due to the fact that many people have expensive cellular data plans, poor cellular signals, or a lack of an ethernet cord to directly plug into a network, Wi-Fi usage at these locations are very high. In fact, a survey conducted in 2016 by a cybersecurity company named ‘Symantec’, showed that 87% of U.S. consumers have used readily available public Wi-Fi. In the same survey, it also reported, that 60% of the respondents felt their personal information was safe when using these free Wi-Fi services. Unfortunately, there are a number of dangers everyone should be concerned about when using complimentary internet connections.

The first real danger is referred to as the “Man in the Middle Attack.” This happens when a cybercriminal sets up an eavesdropping point between the device and server when using an unencrypted network. This could allow someone to collect tons of data from anyone using the unsecured Wi-Fi network. Another common tactic to be alert about, is when cybercriminals set up a malicious hotspot in an attempt to trick users into connecting. The malicious network could be set up to mimic a legitimate network, but would allow the cybercriminal to ‘snoop’ or ‘sniff’ out the user’s information. This could literally allow someone to view the pages, passwords, and any other activity that the user is doing on the malicious network. One additional danger to be on the lookout for is a phishing expedition by cybercriminals. This technique attempts to gain personal information when signing up to log-in to public Wi-Fi. Cybercriminals could have setup a fake network and are attempting to get users to voluntarily turn over personal information through a fake sign-in page.

The people at Norton, a leading computer security company, offer a number of suggestions to stay safe on free Wi-Fi. They say one way to protect yourself is to stick to the well-known networks. Verify that you are actually using the Starbucks or McDonald’s network, and not a fraud. Another tip is to adjust settings on your device so that it does not automatically connect to available networks, as those could be malicious networks. Limiting file sharing and AirDrop functions while on free Wi-Fi can also make your device more secure. Only use HTTPS websites on public Wi-Fi, as they are secure, especially when making a financial transaction. Lastly, it is recommended that users set up a VPN. A VPN is a virtual private network. This is a much more secure way of using public Wi-Fi but would require the use of an app and a few extra steps. By heeding some of this advice, the hope is more users won’t pay the cost of forfeiting their personal security, when using free Wi-Fi.