Cybersecurity isn't just limited to the office place. When using personal devices, connecting to public WiFi, and accessing the internet it is important that you aren't making some of the most common WiFi connection mistakes without even realizing it. Answer honestly, does the following mistake apply to you?
Everyone loves free WiFi. In fact, many restaurants, hotels, and other establishments advertise free WiFi as a perk, but how often are you blindly connecting to hotel, airport, or coffee shop WiFi networks?
If you're honest with yourself you're probably doing this without even thinking about it. However, connecting to some of these public networks can put you at risk. For instance, did you know that your phone saves the names of these password-less networks and automatically reconnects whenever it finds them? This means that you may be connecting to dangerous networks without even realizing it. It's super easy for cyber criminals to create a fake WifI network with innocent sounding names such as "Starbucks" or "Marriott". You think you're connecting to a free, complementary WiFi network when really you're giving hackers the key to accessing your device. Unfortunately once you've connected, everything you do is compromised.
This tactic is known as a Hotspot Honeypot. Below are 3 recommendations to avoid this type of cyber attack:
- Use your Smartphone's built-in WiFi hotspot: Instead of connecting a laptop or tablet to some random network it is much more safe to use your smartphone's built in hotspot functionality.
- Use a VPN or SASE: Using a VPN or SASE (secure access service edge) helps keep your web traffic secure when on public WiFi.
- Check The Name and Online Agreements of The Network: Double checking that authenticity of the SSID of the network your connecting to should be your first instinct when connecting to public WiFi. Additionally, reading any online agreements that you are presented with prior to connecting can help you distinguish a real network from a false one.
Finally, the most proven method is to turn off auto connect for these unknown networks
Here are the steps to doing this on iPhone:
- Go to settings > WiFi
- Find the WiFi you'd like to disable auto-connect with
- Tap the "I" next to the name
- Toggle the Auto-connect button to off.
Make sure you're surfing safely when traveling or on the go!
CorpInfoTech (Corporate Information Technologies) provides small to mid-market organizations with expert I.T. services including compliance assessment, cybersecurity penetration tests, and comprehensive business continuity planning services. CorpInfoTech can help organizations, quantify, create, refine, and mitigate the risks presented by business threatening disasters in whatever form they may be disguised.
