Why it's not good to connect to public Wi-Fi networks. What dangers lurk and how we can protect ourselves
When we're out and about or especially when we're traveling abroad, we're tempted to use public Wi-Fi networks instead of mobile data to avoid extra costs. However, this method is by no means risk-free. What they are and what we can do explained for Adevărul Silviu Stahie, cyber security expert.
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The truth: Is it safe to connect to Wi-Fi networks outside the home?
Silviu Stahie: The main advice that we have and that any company that offers security solutions has is not to use Wi-Fi networks outside our home, to stay on mobile data as much as possible.
There are situations where we will need to connect, try to save money, for example, or maybe the Internet connection through the mobile network is not good enough. If we're at a hotel or other such location, we should get our credentials directly from them, not connect to networks we find open. The main reason for this is that these Wi-Fi networks – especially when the attacker is the one setting up that Wi-Fi network – are very powerful at collecting information about users.
There are entire attack strategies this way. Attackers who go, for example, to a public market, with some devices that call themselves pineapple (pineapple), they are essentially routers, with batteries, that they carry in their backpacks, place them in the middle of a very crowded market; people find that Wi-Fi for free, connect there, access banking apps or various services, and the information – when this attack is well-crafted – can be redirected and intercepted.
It's generally good to connect to known Wi-Fis and try to get access credentials from that hotel or restaurant, not to connect to Wi-Fis we find open on our travels.
Silviu Stahie, cyber security expert at Bitdefender
What other places are very dangerous besides these public markets?
Wherever there are human agglomerations. Malls, restaurants, so wherever there are large crowds of people, it is good to avoid connecting to Wi-Fis that we do not know.
How can we protect ourselves?
If we are in a restaurant, in a public place, and we really need and find Wi-Fi, we should always use a VPN application. VPN apps, in addition to making you anonymous – as their main function – or helping you access content that is not available in that country, also have the function of securing the connection. Even if you connect to a Wi-Fi that is not very secure, initiating a VPN connection encrypts the data you send from that device. So, even if someone controls that Wi-Fi or that Wi-Fi is not well secured, encrypting your data by using a VPN app makes you much safer than you would have been before.
What operations must we categorically avoid when connected to networks outside the home?
As much as possible, let's try not to do sensitive things: accessing banking, financial applications. Accessing email wouldn't be a problem, because most of the time we access from fingerprint devices. In general, we should not access sites or resources where we are asked to enter a username and password, because that information can be intercepted more easily than the rest of the communications.
Can security solutions alert when a Wi-Fi network is not secure?
You have no choice. There are certain methods that attackers use. One method is to redirect the victim to the unsecured version of a site, which is actually a clone. I'll give you an example: we connect to Facebook. The attacker sees that you are logged into Facebook, but instead of uploading your https://facebook.comloads your http version. The http variant is not encrypted; therefore, all data that is sent over that unsecured link is readable in plain text to the interceptor. A security solution will warn you, because pages like this are not so common anymore: “Your data is not safe, are you sure you want to continue?”. So yes, security solutions will protect you to some extent.
