We can find public Wi-Fi networks anywhere. Especially in places where there is a lot of movement of people, such as a train station, airport or shopping center, we can see many available. Now, are they all safe? The truth is that we can run into problems that compromise our systems. In this article we are going to talk about why we should not register on any Wi-Fi .
Why you should avoid registering on any Wi-Fi
In many of these Wi-Fi networks that we find and that allow users to connect at a certain moment they ask us to register. Normally it is a form that we must fill in with our data and this allows us to have access to that network and to be able to navigate.
We must bear in mind that this could be a problem for our privacy and security . We could be facing a network that has been created simply to collect user data. It can be a Wi-Fi set in a certain place such as a commercial area, with a lot of user traffic, to collect all kinds of personal information.
Data we expose when registering on public Wi-Fi
It is common that, when trying to enter a Wi-Fi network, we are asked to register and give personal data . This includes the email address, first and last name, telephone number … They can even obtain data such as social networks, in some cases.
Today our personal information has great value on the net. It can be used to send targeted advertising, include us in spam campaigns or even sell it to third parties. Hence, a public Wi-Fi network could have been set up simply with the aim of connecting users who are passing through and need connectivity, thus obtaining their personal data.
This could affect our privacy if that network uses the information for bad purposes. They could sell it to marketing companies to include us on certain lists or even end up in the hands of cybercriminals who could impersonate our identity.
You have to choose well which network to connect to
All this that we mentioned makes it very important to choose correctly which network we are going to connect to . We always say that you have to avoid those that are open, without any type of encryption. It is interesting to verify that they really belong to a legitimate store or business and that they have not been created with bad objectives.
In any case, whenever we connect to a public network we must exercise extreme caution. We should not log into sensitive accounts and services, make payments, or browse without proper protection.
Something that we can take into account is the possibility of using a VPN program that encrypts our connection when we enter a public wireless network. So we can be more protected and our data is not filtered.
Ultimately, it is important not to register on any public Wi-Fi that we see. We must take care of our security and privacy whenever we surf the Internet and it is precisely in these networks where we could have more problems.
In another article we show some tips to connect to a public Wi-Fi network safely.