First of all, we always recommend working from a secure wireless network with a strong router password. Without this, you’re leaving your data open to malicious attacks that could result in your personal or financial information being stolen or used.
This is the danger of using public wifi as you have no control over the network security and what users you are sharing your network with. Of course, you can work from public wifi and not experience any incidents but the risk is always there.
There is a number of steps you may want to take to that can reduce the likelihood of a successful attack when using public wifi:
Utilising a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) will encrypt any data being sent and received from your system so it can ensure that if anyone is able to view your data it will be difficult to extract useful information from this. VPNs are often easy to install and implement. As always, it is always important to research the provider first to guarantee they’re trustworthy.
Turn off your wifi when not in use
If your work doesn’t require you to be constantly connected to the internet it can be good practice to disconnect from the router when it is not needed. This can reduce the window of opportunity for attackers and ultimately protect your data.
Avoid accessing financial or personal information
A good rule of thumb is to always assume that anything you’re looking at on public wifi can be seen by anyone, so if you’re accessing something that you wouldn’t share you’re putting that information at risk.
Use mobile data
Most mobile data providers usually encrypt your data so if you don’t want to risk using public wifi and can’t access a secure network using your mobile data could be a better alternative.
Ensure you’re connected to a secure website
If you can see HTTPS in the web address then that usually indicates this site has up-to-date SSL certificates which should mean there will be a level of encryption on your data when using this site. A way to ensure this is to enable “always use HTTPS” on your browser or there are multiple plugins that do this too.
Whilst the tips above will help to reduce the chances of your data being stolen when using a public network there is no surefire way to fully protect your data in this scenario which is why we always recommended using a secured private network when available.
If you would like to get in touch to discuss how we can help protect your data or simply want to find out more about what we do please head to our website or send an email to Hello@datacentreplus.co.uk.Alternatively, if you would like to speak to a member of our team you can call us on 0161 464 6101 where they will be more than happy to help.
