Public WIFi
- Thread starter JEREMY HAWKE
- Start date
Yep, always. If you login to public Wifi, your on the same network as everybody else sharing it, and so your device is visible to all on that network. This is one of the ways hackers will easily access your devices, as your handing it to them on a plate.
If you stay on your mobile providers connection its 1-2-1 isolation, each device has its own private connection. You should switch off your Wifi when out and about too, prevents any snooping and wifi connections to your devices.
You dont actually have to connect to a public wifi to get hacked, just having it on is enough as most devices send out a list of the network names they are looking for, and with the right equipment, you can replicate that network name and allow a device to auto-connect to it.
Just one of the many subject's we teach RAF Air Cadets and is part of the syllabus
If you stay on your mobile providers connection its 1-2-1 isolation, each device has its own private connection. You should switch off your Wifi when out and about too, prevents any snooping and wifi connections to your devices.
You dont actually have to connect to a public wifi to get hacked, just having it on is enough as most devices send out a list of the network names they are looking for, and with the right equipment, you can replicate that network name and allow a device to auto-connect to it.
Just one of the many subject's we teach RAF Air Cadets and is part of the syllabus
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Have a good firewall, password manager and a VPN and you're pretty much safe. I don't see why all the panic. I never got hacked. Never in my life. And I'm all the time online.
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Best way to stay safe, by the way, I missed. Get a clean computer and put Linux Mint on it.
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Well, there's no full happiness, you know. Windows and security, those two in a sentence, is a paradox.
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Not sure how linux will protect you from all the email scams and fishing sites but right on....
For public wifi expect that every bit of data can be read on the AP including passwords you enter in websites. Ideally you want to turn of sync services such as cloud drives etc.... if you really need to connect to one or simply use a VPN solution.
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Well not exactly correct, a VPN will ensure data confidentiality through encryption of data in motion, it will not protect your device from attackers or other infected devices on the same LAN network segment........ Stick to 4G where possible!
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That is why one HAS to have culture of browsing & internet behaviour. Never open websites you don't know and don't trust!
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So how do you get to know a website without visiting the website? According to your logic you wouldn't have become a member of UKBF because you would never have visited the site.
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Not sure what you are on about, gaining access to a modern Android or IOS device even in a lab with lifting the nand chip off is a massive headache at best. Hacking a modern Android OS or IOS via wifi is simple not possible without you as the owner of the phone installing apps, ideally in boot mode and allow for such connection. On top the databases are fully encrypted too since Android 7 and ios 7. Without you making major changes to the system such as debug mode turning an etc... hacking via wifi is currently not possible. If you connect to a public wifi AP expect they can read all your data going in and out but thats it.
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Websites that rank higher in Google - are generally safe. You could've answered that yourself! Low-ranking websites are full with malware and especially these days - Cryptominer Viruses. Be free to argue, but I won't be here.
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I've seen it. Most of the times they clean their rubbish after a report because they don't want their reputation ruined, or sued. Thanks for adding that. I've been infected numerous times on many websites, so I'm extra careful. Forums are usually safe. If you click on a weird link on a post though - that's where trouble could come from.
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First of all you should determine why do you need all that security measures. If you do some serious work, probably yes. If you do check some mails or chit chat in messenger - it depends. However I mean if you are in some coffee shop and owner have it's own wi-fi spot for visitors I highly doubt he will "steal" from you something.
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It's not the owner you're looking out for. Packet sniffing/injection is a very real thing and the software to do so is widely available. This means that without the use of a VPN, all of your unencrypted information is being broadcast across the airwaves for anyone with a laptop and the right software to see.
Enter your password over a non-https website and they'll be able to see. If they want though, they'll be able to inject a packet of their own to the data stream, so that when you go to visit what you think is Paypal, you're actually entering your details into the hacker's database.
VPNs are invaluable on a public network.
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D
Darren_Ssc
It's not uncommon to hear people blurting out their card number, expiry date and 3 digit code while talking on the phone. Some hacking could be done with a simple notepad and pencil.
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F
ffox
The OP -
Yes it is safer to avoid public WiFi, and use your 4g.
4g work well on trains and planes too.
In a business scenario don't forget that personal data can be hacked and if you can't prove you have practiced due diligent it could be expensive.
Yes it is safer to avoid public WiFi, and use your 4g.
4g work well on trains and planes too.
In a business scenario don't forget that personal data can be hacked and if you can't prove you have practiced due diligent it could be expensive.
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F
ffox
Good advice Chris, but if someone is cloning the wireless data stream between your device and a public WiFi hotspot you wouldn't even know.
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These are good tips for email scammers but that's not how data packet injection works. In the public wifi scenario, you might decide to check your Paypal balance, so you type in "paypal.com" and are led to a site that looks just like Paypal and appears perfectly in the address bar. In reality, you're now being taken to a clone website where any log-in information you provide is sent directly to the scammer.
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On public wifi, as long as you check for the https padlock next to the site (including google search), you're fine. And don't accept any security warnings. The only thing a hacker could see is what websites you use (eg, "Google" or "Netflix") - this is because DNS queries are not encrypted.
TLDR: use 4g, simpler.
TLDR: use 4g, simpler.
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I pay £20 for SIM only which includes 5000 minutes, unlimited texts and a massive 300GB of 4G data due to grabbing a Black Friday deal with VirginMobile. I always use 4G. If 4G is not available and have to use free-WIFI be sure to setup VPN. No VPN? Quickly connect to free-WIFI and download any trial of VPN like NordVPN and install the app and then you may use the internet as usual securely.
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I know some who know what a VPN is and thought you use it even on non-free-WIFI until I explained that while you can do that VPN helps when using free-WIFI. If not using free-WIFI then it can be safer to use your own network than to use VPN (middle-man) at least for business purposes. But if non-business and want to change your IP then a VPN is good.
A VPN is a lot more well-known now as they are even advertised on TV (think NordVPN). Some people think you should use them all the time; some use them only when using free-WIFI. It depends on what you are doing. But a quick Google lets you know what a VPN is and the different reasons why people use them.
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