Free Public Wi-Fi Is Available In Many Places These Days. We Can Have Internet Access In Many Shops, Restaurants, And Hotels. 

You don’t need a password in many places; connect to the network and use it. This. But this simplicity can, unfortunately, be used by cybercriminals.

With the popularization of these accessible networks, criminals also start creating fake accessible Wi-Fi networks, and the theft of your information is the price you pay.

Since it is difficult to detect these fake networks, the best advice is not to use public Wi-Fi at all and connect to the Internet through your home network or mobile network. Although this is our best advice, this suggestion is not practical in every situation. So let’s think of ways to protect against these threats.

1. Never trust open Wi-Fi networks that do not require a password.
Cybercriminals often use such networks to eavesdrop on users’ data. Sometimes you have to connect to these networks, but at least do not use these networks for banking or exchanging sensitive information. You can browse the web or check your favorite sites.

2 . Networks with passwords are also not entirely reliable.
A criminal can easily find the password used in stores or cafes and create a fake Wi-Fi hotspot with the same name. Therefore, when public Wi-Fi uses a password, it does not mean it is entirely secure, and you must take precautions.

3 . Turn off Wi-Fi when you’re not using it.
Check that your device is not set to connect to an unknown Wi-Fi network automatically. This will protect your data and help save battery life. This action also protects you against the tracking methods used by different organizations.

For example, when you enter a store with Wi-Fi enabled, your phone searches for all available networks. The device broadcasts its unique MAC address during the investigation. Any Wi-Fi access point that receives a request from your phone can collect this data.

Marketing professionals often use this information to map customer journeys to determine which items attract them the most. For example, if you stand near the perfume counter and fasten your shoelaces, you will soon have to wait for some advertisements for cosmetic products.

4. Do only the necessary tasks
As mentioned above, do not open a bank account or any necessary service using a public Wi-Fi network. This is exceptionally unreasonable and dangerous. Many company employees use the free public Internet at the railway station or Ferodogan for office work and sending confidential company documents. For these cases, you must use the mobile network.

5. HTTPS Only
Some websites use HTTPS, which encrypts all data sent to and received from that website. For example, Google and Wikipedia can do this. Enable these settings on all essential services as much as possible.

6. Recommendation for Google Chrome, Firefox, and Opera users
If you travel a lot and connect to the Internet from cafes, hotels, and other public places, install a particular browser extension that enables secure Internet access. Our proposal is HTTPS Everywhere from the Electronic Pioneers Foundation (EFF). By default, this plugin enables secure connection to Yahoo, eBay, Amazon, and several other sites. You can add other web resources manually.

7 . Install a reliable security solution
These security software packages warn you if you connect to an unsecured network and prevent cybercriminals from stealing your passwords.