Using public WiFi can be convenient, but it also poses serious security risks. Without sufficient protection, hackers and cybercriminals can easily access your personal information, including passwords and sensitive documents when connected to public Wi-Fi.
One way to protect yourself while using public WiFi is by using a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN encrypts your internet connection and routes your traffic through a secure server, helping to protect your data from malicious users. In this article, we will discuss five tips for safely using public WiFi with a VPN.
1-) Make sure the VPN is always on
A VPN connection protects and encrypts all incoming and outgoing information when it is turned on. Although you might be done with a website or a piece of resource, you should never turn off the VPN until you are completely disconnected from public Wi-Fi.
Having the ability to keep the VPN on at all times, especially when using multiple devices is great, so make sure your VPN provider offers this feature. If you have a VPN from the beginning to the very end of your session, you will not be littering sensitive information in-between switches.
Before moving on with your VPN provider, ask for features such as a kill switch or auto-connect when connected to an unknown connection. Disregarding these may result in leaked and vulnerable data.
2-) Check the encryption standards of the VPN
There is not a single type or service when it comes to VPN. Especially in this day and age, we have thousands of cloud-based VPN providers with different capabilities. If you are using public Wi-Fi on a daily basis, you need to understand their encryption standards.
There are several types of encryption algorithms and protocols with varying levels of protection. You need to specify your needs and choose the best option possible. In general, public Wi-Fi is considered risky when used for work; and for businesses with remote businesses and offices, site-to-site VPN protocol (https://nordlayer.com/site-to-site-vpn/) is suggested for the best protection possible.
In terms of the encryption standard, make sure that your provider offers at least AES-256, which is a type of symmetrical encryption used by governments and other organizations that handles sensitive data, such as financial institutions.
3-) Use anti-virus software
Although your outgoing communication might be secured by the VPN, you still need to have anti-virus software for threats such as malware. Public Wi-Fi connections are often infected with malicious actors and malware.
In the case of any suspicious activity, up-to-date anti-virus software would be capable of warning you against these threats in time. As the end-user, you can also help keep your device malware-free by only visiting trusted and known websites.
Though these are general practices that you need to do at all times when you are on the Internet, their importance is more apparent when you are on a public Wi-Fi connection.
4-) Be aware of phishing attacks
Phishing attacks are sneaky, and a VPN will not protect you from such threats. To explain briefly, a phishing attack is when cybercriminals trick people into sharing sensitive information such as passwords by acting like a trusted source. Most of the time, these attacks are carried out through legit-looking websites and emails, which the user thinks to belong a real company.
The best thing to do here is to check for the certificates of a website you visit, and not click on suspicious links or emails. Since a VPN only secures the communication between a client and a server, attacks through insecure websites and emails are not covered by this service. You need to personally understand how phishing scams work and how you can detect them.
If you are a business owner who connects to business resources from public Wi-Fi, you also need to take responsibility and train your employees on the dangers of phishing attacks, and how to be aware of them.
5-) Use a reputable VPN provider
It all comes down to this; your VPN provider. When connected to public Wi-Fi using a VPN, you are only as safe as the protection offered by your VPN provider. With the current VPN market where there are literally thousands of options, there is a chance that your VPN simply does not meet your needs.
But luckily, there are several ways to rate the protection level of a VPN vendor. Before investing in, you can check for their track record of protecting the data of their users, and any potential previous breaches.
Most importantly, you need to look for their industry certifications or accolades, which will provide valuable insights about the quality of your provider. Some of the things a VPN provider should ideally have are ISO 27001, TRUSTe Privacy Seal, and PCI-DSS compliance. A no-log certification is also crucial to make sure they do not keep any logs of your activities.
Conclusion
Using public Wi-Fi, especially for work, is as dangerous as it is convenient. In order to protect yourself and all your online activities, you need to use a VPN at all times. However, due to complex cyberattacks, you still need some extra steps to secure your connection the best you can. With the tips above, we believe that you can safely use public Wi-Fi without compromising sensitive data.
