Tips and tricks for using an open Wi-Fi without getting hacked

It’s every man’s dream to be able to use free internet. You know the feeling you get when you stumble upon your neighbor’s Wi-Fi and you can’t help but hook on to it if it’s just sitting there without a password. But there are privacy and security risks you should take into account before jumping the gun – there’s no end to the ‘no free lunches’ cliché in the digital world. And a measly open Wi-Fi could come to at the cost of heaps of your personal data which you wouldn’t otherwise share with anyone. You don’t even need to fall into a professional hackers trap through an open Wi-Fi; any pseudo-geek with half a brain and a few pieces of computer monitoring software can rig the network to take a peep into your internet activities while you’re happily freeloading on their connection.

Freeload without the consequences

If you’re smart about it you can use an open Wi-Fi without the terrible consequences. And If we’re being serious this is also important because you’re not always trying to steal someone’s Wi-Fi – you need to be careful while using any open Wi-Fi period which can range from a connection at your favorite café to your own workplace (staying safe and secure becomes increasingly important if you’re a BYOD enthusiast). So what can you do?

•  Sharing isn’t always good my friend

People don’t realize that the settings on their system can do more damage than any person really trying to break in. To make sure your sharing settings aren’t off base go to your Control Panel, then browse to Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center, then click Choose Homegroup and Sharing Options -> Change Advanced Sharing Settings. Once you’re there you can get rid of file and printer sharing, and you may turn off Network Discovery and the Public folder sharing as well. Also ensure you’re not  randomly clicking on the Wi-Fi options that windows hits you with. When you’re asked to specify whether you’re latching onto a home, work or public connection you need to choose public so that Windows can keep your security settings to a max.

•  Build your defenses

Make sure your Firewall is a strong one. Then make sure you’re keeping it enabled. Windows has a built in option that you can turn on from the control panel by accessing your System and Security options. Mac users can find their Firewall under their security settings as well. You can keep unwanted guests out of your system if your Firewall is good enough.

• SSL is the way to go

Normal browsing over an HTTP spectrum isn’t hard to grab for anyone. Your movement can be easily monitored if you don’t know what you’re doing, and even in normal days it’s not something many people give much thought to. But when you’re on an open Wi-Fi SSL or secure socket layers are the way to go. For example if you surf facebook with this address https:www.facebook.com you can keep yourself secure because of the added layers of encryption. Open Wi-Fi’s may not offer threats like keyloggers but they have their own issues which have to be dealt with.