Public Wi-Fi, whether at a public library, coffee shop, railway station, or retail store, makes it simple to connect to the internet from any location. It allows you to send emails, access your bank accounts, and read news items. Should you, however?
Public Wi-Fi, while handy and attractive for users, raises security and privacy problems. For example, free Wi-Fi hotspots do not require authentication to create a network connection, making it easier for hackers to get access to unprotected network equipment. So, what are the most dangerous threats you face while connecting to public Wi-Fi networks?
Packet sniffing or eavesdropping is the illegal monitoring of data transmitted between devices. Internet users without Wi-Fi hotspot protection risk not only losing critical information but also having their information modified. One doesn’t have to be a master codebreaker to steal personal data on public Wi-Fi. Just having the right gear and special tools for sniffing is enough.Wire shark is one such tool which can spy on open unsecure packets to get information such as passwords ,usernames and more.
Identity theft is a cybercrime with the primary goal of illegally obtaining someone’s data. Most commonly, cybercriminals use public Wi-Fi hotspots to steal people’s credit card information and commit financial fraud. With enough information about an individual, cybercriminals can apply for loans, withdraw money, make purchases and commit other crimes all in their name.
Session hijacking is another public WiFi security threat. In this case, an attacker intercepts information about your computer and its connection to websites or other services. Once the attacker has that information, he can configure his own computer to match yours and hijack the connection.
For example, hackers could hijack your connection to your bank's website after you log in. From the bank's end of the connection, it would look like your computer and since you are already logged in, the attacker would have access to everything in your account.
