The person who steals your data may be behind your back

If the network is not encrypted, it is even worse than a network without a password. During such a connection, all data moves between devices through the router without protection. If you intercept the traffic, you can catch a lot of information about different users. To do this, there are programs that allow you to see all the content – sniffers. You can use them to see all the user’s pages and passwords. If possible, do not use such public networks without encryption. Usually, the Wi-Fi settings on your smartphone show its presence.

 

Public Wi-Fi with a password

If you find yourself in a coffee shop and the Wi-Fi hotspot there has a password, with encryption, and the password is on the wall, for example, even that’s not good. Surprisingly, an intruder can create his own network with exactly the same password and wait for connections. When connecting you will see that there are two access points. And the rest is as luck would have it. Pay attention to the network signal strength – if it is too low, it may be the intruder’s network.

If this is not necessary, it is better to use your smartphone as a modem to distribute the Internet
Can I connect to public networks?

Sometimes there is no choice. For example, the smartphone ran out of power or a bad signal, ran out of traffic. Anything can happen. Public networks are designed to make it easier for us to use the Internet. But there are a number of rules to follow.

  1. Use only verified access points with authorization via SMS
  2. Try to observe digital hygiene. On a laptop or Android device, use a good antivirus with updated databases
  3. Don’t use automatic Wi-Fi connection.
  4. Only connect to an organization’s network after making sure it is owned or not. Don’t fight with networks with call or SMS authorization – two-factor authentication really helps.
  5. If possible, use a VPN when connecting to public networks and don’t enter your card details. To protect yourself, go to your online banking application and create a virtual card. It’ll make your purchases safer – and fraudsters won’t know your credit card details when they use a virtual card.

Why use a VPN

A VPN is a virtual private network. You can use it to spoof your location. A VPN is a network within a network. This technology forms a separate encrypted channel through which all data is transmitted. This channel can be hacked, but it is very difficult. With this technology, you can protect not only your data, but also, for example, your video calls. Nowadays, when the Internet is controlled, it is better to protect yourself from other people’s eyes and ears. Which VPN to choose: NordVPN vs Mullvad

Don’t forget about digital hygiene – it has become very important in 2021 when all your data may end up in the wrong hands. Do not ignore the security systems of your device – do not be lazy to change the password from your pages, back up your data, unsubscribe from unnecessary things and regularly update the software on Android – it contains fixes for security errors, which could previously be used by ill-wishers.