How to stay safe on public wireless networks
I already talked about why you shouldn’t connect to a public wireless networks and the security risks you expose yourself to. However, if it’s inevitable, here’s how to make sure that your connection is somewhat secure:
- Hover your mouse over the network name to see which encryption it’s using. Check if the connection is secured using WPA security (WPA2 is even better), instead of WEP.
- It should require you to enter a password.
- Make sure that you only navigate on secure websites, with SSL certificate.
- Watch out for fake wireless networks. Make sure that you’re connecting to the ones provided by the owner and not scam ones, with similar names.
- Also watch out for fake hotspot registration pages, where you’re required to hand over your credit card details.
