14 Tips for Public Wi-Fi Hotspot Security

For its 2017 Wi-Fi Risk Report, Symantec chatted with thousands of adults who used public Wi-Fi hotpots in 15 countries across the globe. You’d think it would show people concerned for their privacy and in fear of identity theft, spying, and worse. Wrong.

Instead, it showed that people are addicted to free Wi-Fi and don’t think twice about connecting to any network that can get them online in most cases. Getting Wi-Fi in a hotel, on an airplane, even in a restaurant or bar drives decision-making on where to go and stay. Half said the most important thing to access is GPS information. And 40 percent said they have used public Wi-Fi in hotels/rentals to watch adult content—and I’m not talking about HBO GO. There are plenty of people doing that on trains, buses, airports, at work, and even in the public toilet.

Worst of all (yes, it gets worse), while 60 percent said they feel their info is safe when using hotspots, 53 percent can’t tell a secure network from an insecure one.

For many, public Wi-Fi hotspots are just too convenient to ignore. But that’s risky behavior, especially because it’s not that hard to make sure you’re secure. Some of the tips below involve common sense; the rest you can set up before you even leave the house or office. Make sure the next hotspot you connect to—be it in the café or in the sky—isn’t a security nightmare waiting to happen.