Digital privacy expert discusses unsafe public Wi-Fi with hackers in closed 
online forums 


With Japanese returning to cafes, malls and increasingly using metro, subway, 
trains, public Wi-Fi has become a golden opportunity for cybercriminals. 

"People are always looking for ways to reduce the amount of mobile data they 
use each month, which leads many people to use free wi-fi spots, especially 
while out and about in town. Unfortunately, public places make a good cover for 
hackers who can easily set up malicious hotspots and steal people's data, 
without you even realising," says Paul Ashton, Japan Country Manager at 
NordVPN. 

Daniel Markuson, digital privacy expert at NordVPN, discussed the risks of 
unsafe public Wi-Fi with a couple of hackers in closed online forums. 

What makes public Wi-Fi unsafe
From NordVPN study, hackers agreed on two common points that can make any 
public Wi-Fi hotspot vulnerable. These are poor router configuration and lack 
of a strong password. They claim it can take a couple of minutes to start 
peeking at confidential information sent from a device connected to unsecured 
Wi-Fi.

If you're lucky, the snooper may just read your browsing activity. But in the 
worst-case scenario, they can steal all your sensitive information, including 
passwords and credit card details.

As your device is constantly looking for trusted Wi-Fi networks, stalkers can 
use these connection requests to find out where you live. It's enough to type 
it on public website that creates heatmaps of Wi-Fi hotspots, such as Wigle.net.

How to stay safe
Daniel Markuson, provides some useful tips on what you should do to protect 
your devices and information they hold.
- When connecting to Wi-Fi in a coffee shop or hotel, always double-check the 
network name with a member of the staff.  Remember, hackers might create fake 
Wi-Fi hotspots using names that look trustworthy. 
- On public Wi-Fi, avoid visiting sensitive websites, logging into your social 
accounts, and never perform any banking transactions. Public Wi-Fi is best for 
browsing the internet. 
- Enable your firewall. Most operating systems have built-in firewall, which 
keeps outsiders from going through your computer's data. 
- Use a VPN (virtual private network). Reliable VPN will make sure your online 
connections are private and no sensitive data can get into the hands of 
criminals. 
- Remember to turn off the Wi-Fi function on your device when not using it. 

https://nordvpn.com

Source: NordVPN