The way we connect to the Internet is changing very fast. Wired Internet is giving way to wireless Internet. Getting broadband Internet on a wireless connection has become quite common. Moreover, at places such as restaurants, coffee shops, airports, hotels, libraries or other public places, you can easily get wireless or wi-fi hotspots. These wi-fi hotspots are basically local area networks (LAN) that provide you access to Internet through a wireless connection on your laptop or netbook computer. People commonly use these wi-fi hotspots for connecting to the web for checking their email, connecting to their social networking contacts, sending files, browsing the Internet or for other purposes. You may get both paid hotspots as well as free public hotspots at such places. No doubt, such wifi hotspots provide you convenience and flexibility of working while on move. However, many such wi-fi hotspots may also expose you to enhanced security risk to your important files and data and to your passwords and other personal information, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to take certain safety precautions while using these hotspots.
The security risk may comparatively be more at the public wifi hotspots that are freely accessible by everybody at places like airports or coffee shops. Many of such hotspots don’t require any password to access them and they may not support secure access or encrypted connection. Your communication through such unsafe hotspots can easily be picked up or intercepted by others who have technical knowledge. Since checking email at such hotspots is a very common thing with most people, your passwords for the email accounts may be compromised. And, if you’re doing some online shopping through these wi-fi hotspots, your sensitive information such as credit card number and passwords may not be safe. Moreover, you may also be exposed to the security threats in the form of viruses, worms, malware, spyware, etc.
It is not to suggest that you don’t use these hotspots for connecting to the Internet. As mentioned above, they provide you convenience and flexibility of working even while you’re traveling. However, what is necessary is to take some basic safety precautions that can help you protect your data while costing you nothing. Here are some basic safety tips while accessing these wi-fi hotspots, including the public hotspots as well as the paid ones such as Verizon or T-Mobile.
(1) Your firewall must be activated: It is a “must do” when you access a hotspot. Firewall can prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to your laptop / computer through the Internet or other networks. It can control all the incoming traffic and much of the outgoing traffic to/from your computer from/to other networks or Internet. A firewall can allow incoming traffic on selective basis. You may already have a firewall inbuilt in your operating system. Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 have inbuilt firewalls. However, you must keep your firewall activated, at least while accessing a wi-fi hotspot. You may also consider using a third-party firewall if that can provide you better security than the default firewall of the operating system.
When you activate the firewall, do not allow any exceptions to the firewall while using the hotspots. You can also disable unnecessary network services such as Windows Telnet service, remote desktop sharing, remote desktop help, etc. Read: What is a firewall and why should you use it.
(2) Keep your security software up-to-date and active: Your anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spyware software must be kept active and should be up-to-date with the latest virus definitions, etc. This can help protect your computer from any malicious attack while you’re surfing the Internet at such hotspots.
(3) Select secure connection wherever possible: If a wi-fi hotspot gives you the option to connect through the secure connection, always select that option. Check for the security certificate online if possible. A secure connection would send information through encrypted data and will thus protect your sensitive information.
(4) Disable “Client for Microsoft Networks” and “File and Printer sharing”: Change the settings of your wi-fi connection to disable “Client for Microsoft Networks” and “File and Printer Sharing” services. Leaving these services enabled while accessing a wireless hotspot can expose your laptop to security threats since others can exploit them for wrongful purposes.
(5) Encrypt your important data: It is always advisable to encrypt your sensitive data and files. This is more true when you access a hotspot. An encrypted file may not be accessible to hackers. Read: Need for encryption.
(6) Make your important folders private: When you protect your important folders by making them private, other people won’t be able to access them without knowing your password. Select strong passwords to protect such folders.
(7) Configure wi-fi connection to networks in manual mode: Configure the properties of your wi-fi connection to connect only to the preferred networks using the manual mode. This will allow you to select whether to login to a particular hotspot, thus giving you full control. Avoid automatic mode setting for wi-fi connection. So, you should be in a position to approve the access points before you access them.
(8) Avoid conducting sensitive transactions at hotspots: Use the wifi hotspots to generally browse the Internet; but avoid using them for conducting some sensitive transactions such as banking transactions or credit card transactions or shopping online, etc.
These basic safety precautions would definitely help you protect and shield your computer from any malicious attack or data theft at such wifi hotspots.
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