Public Wi-Fi access points are everywhere around us and we use them every day to access the internet from our mobile devices. But they can be friends and enemies because in addition to usefulness they bringing safety risks.
Anyone with a wireless card within signal range of a wireless access point can access the network and use the Internet. Some of them do not have a sufficient level of encryption and signals can be intercepted by anyone with a receiver and some basic and easily accessible tools. So everything you send or a combination of your user name and password can be visible. Also hackers have the tools, skills and patience to pre-empt the wireless signal and replace the sign-up page with a look-alikepage so that your identification data end up in the wrong hands or can be redirected to other fake sites which are full of viruses.
It is therefore advisable that you follow some basic safety rules: Do not let your devices automatically login to open WiFi access points. Instead, manually select the hotspot when you want to connect. Especially do not conduct financial transactions. If you use IM or e-mail never send anything that should not be seen in public. This is just the beginning. The infographic which we provide below presents detailed instructions on what you should do and how to take care for your safety while you are connected to a public Wi-Fi hotspot.
