What is Free Public WiFi Costing You?

October 10, 2022

The sigh of relief when you’re able to connect to free WiFi is a special kind of happiness. However, if you travel frequently on business or take off for travels around the world with your family, and are tempted to log-in to work, you should take extra care when using public WiFi.

It is tempting to use the hotel WiFi and you may have even specifically chosen that hotel for it. But it’s important to remember that hotels specialise in hospitality, not cybersecurity. Even if you have to log in with a password, bear in mind that all other guests are being given the same password too and you are logging into a network that is an unknown quantity, in terms of who is using it or accessing it or even managing it at the hotel.

Joining a hotel’s network could impact your privacy and exposes you to all sorts of risks. Your browsing could be tracked by third parties or your accounts could be hacked. If you don’t have unlimited mobile data or are simply looking to save your battery, it can be tempting to ‘jump on’ that random free WiFi network that just appeared to quickly access messages but do first check that you are accessing the right network for your location, especially if you are given a selection to choose from.

Cyber criminals are known to set up fake hotspots, with similar names to real ones, to try to lure you on to theirs. Make sure you are accessing a legitimate one by asking hotel staff to clarify the exact network name and check the website address is correct. Hackers may have changed a letter, or something equally small, which you may not notice at first glance and cause you to login to the hacker’s website, even though you thought you were careful.

You are advised not to start checking your bank accounts or using your social media accounts when you are on a public network of any kind. Hackers can intercept what you are sending to the server and see the details you are viewing and entering. You could quickly become the victim of electronic espionage, handing over potentially not just bank details, but corporate and private secrets too.

If you do wish to use the Internet for other purposes, you should invest in a VPN service, (Virtual Private Network), which will keep your IP address hidden and encrypt your data. In many cases, it can be used across multiple devices, so you could potentially protect your laptop, phone, tablet and family mobiles, under one VPN service. There are also free VPNs available which will have their own limitations.

Depending what you buy, you may also be able to benefit from malware and advert blockers and it will give you the advantage of knowing that no hotel staff can track your Internet history.

Attempts to infect your devices with malware are not uncommon within hotels. Cyber criminals have been known to make sophisticated attempts to encourage guests to click on infected files or hand over important personal details that could lead to identify theft. Tailoring emails in a way that makes them seem believable to the recipient has become an art form for some, so be ultra-cautious about any email you are not expecting.

Make sure your devices are protected with firewalls and that anti-malware software is installed to detect any infected files that come your way. Do not blindly open any email attachments, unless you are 100% sure that it is a clean file.

Having a VPN can give you another advantage particularly if you really do need to check your social media profile when overseas. Although some countries block access to certain social media sites, by using a VPN, you can still access them, but take care with what you’re posting. If you’re openly advertising that you’re away from your home, this could impact a claim if you made one such as if you were to suffer a burglary.

For help with all of your cyber insurance needs, you should talk to a broker who can not only offer cyber risk management advice, but arm you with the right insurance, should the worst occur. To find an expert to help you, please get in touch.