With so many people on-the-go with their smart phones, tablets, and laptops, public Wi-Fi is available nearly everywhere. As convenient as public Wi-Fi can be, there are some important things to know to protect yourself and your personal information on these networks. Weâve put together some tips from the Government of Canada on how to stay safe and limit your risk when using public Wi-Fi.
What are the risks with public Wi-Fi?
Public Wi-Fi networks can pose a risk to your data security because there are a lot of people using the same network at the same time, and not everyone on it has good intentions.
According to the Government of Canada, cyber criminals are known to creep around on Wi-Fi networks that donât require passwords hoping to gain access to peopleâs information. Sometimes they will even set up networks with similar names to fool you into logging in so they can capture your personal data.
Any computer or mobile device can be vulnerable to identity theft, so donât make the mistake of thinking youâre in the clear because you have a particular operating system.
What can you do to protect yourself?
Turn your Wi-Fi off when youâre not using it
Itâs easy to do this and is usually just a matter of clicking the wireless icon in the menu bar to find the option to turn it off.
Turn off âauto connectâ in your Wi-Fi settings
Make sure you are fully aware of any connections that take place.
Enable your firewall
This is an important step while browsing on public networks. You should also keep up to date anti-virus software on your computer.
Pay attention to detail
Watch for spelling mistakes or variations when looking for the network you want to join. For example: âCoffeehouse Publicâ vs. âCoffeehuose Publicâ.
Visit the secure HTTPS version of sites
Adjust the site URL with an extra âS’ in your browser’s address bar. If the âS’ disappears you should log out immediately.
Look out for âshoulder surfersâ
Sometimes the biggest threat could be a person sitting right beside you, watching you type in your passwords.
Do sensitive browsing at home
To be on the safe side, try to do online banking and shopping from the safety of your private Wi-Fi network at home.
Log out when youâre done
This is a simple way of making sure youâre safely out of the public network.
If you think you may have been a victim of identity theft, make sure you report it to the police. You may also want to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Visit the Government of Canada page, Identity 101, for more information on what to do if you encounter identity theft.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Tips to prevent identity theft
Credit card safety and that mystery, three-digit number
Consumer trend #2: retail therapy continues to move online
How to request a refund from your credit card provider
Itâs Fraud Prevention Month â do you take smartphone privacy seriously?
I clicked on the link above to credit card safety and that mystery three digit number.
It returned the message that consumer protection couldnât answer. Someone replied with a link to get the answer. I clicked on that link and received a response that it couldnât be found. Check the spelling etc and try again.
This sounds like phishing, my comment to you. I look forward to your reply. Thanks.
Hi Bill, thanks for your comment. Are you referring to the response from Melaina from this blog post? The link to the Canadian Bankers Association about contactless payment cards? If so, it looks like the link is no longer active. This could be because they updated their website, or the content no longer exists. If you’re looking for information on contactless payment cards, I did a quick search on the Canadian Bankers Association website and found this: https://cba.ca/tap-to-pay-card-security-an-faq. Hopefully this helps and best of luck finding what you’re looking for!