5 Ways to Establish Secured Connection in Public Wi-fi Hotspots

Wi-Fi hotspots in public venues are unusually not encrypted. They are made for the public to investigate internet by connecting their smartphones/tablets/laptops towards the hotspot. For this reason, these networks are certainly not secured to ensure that people can browse without any hassle. However, risks are invariably connected with unencrypted public networks.

This article discusses five different measures which you'll want to adopt to make a secure link to public hotspots. Whether you strolling within a shopping mall or travelling by air, you are able to apply these precautionary measures anywhere you would like to.

Read on to know more.

Do not hook up to an unsecured network

As discussed already, most public hotspots aren't secured. But some are encrypted. You are advised to find the ones that have some type of protection. On Windows 7, you can easily identify a secured network by hitting it. Doing a mouse-over on each SSID will display its security status. It is better to prevent networks which can be labeled 'Unsecured'. On Windows Vista and Windows XP, the safety status can be identified in the SSID which has a lock symbol into it. Needless to say, you will require the password to access public hotspots that are secure. Some public facilities like hotels and restaurants provide their visitors the Wi-Fi password.

To ensure further security, it is recommended that you decide on the networks which may have WPA2 encryption. This amount of encryption is as well as WPA and then WEP. Choose WEP only when there's no other option available.

Apply a VPN

Third party Virtual Private Networks (VPN) like GoTrusted Secure Tunnel 2 or HotSpot Shield may also be used to secure public hotspots at the same time. Alternatively, you are able to also go for any online VPN. These services ensure security by building a virtual private network that acts as a medium between your computer along with their network-a virtual tunnel. This tunnel provides a protective shield and prevents any third one who attempts to connect for the VPN and intrude your surfing session. Use of VPN can however slow down download speeds and browsing.

Avoid online transactions over public networks

Online transactions like banking, paying your bills, debit/credit cards transactions are better avoided over public networks. Although you may do these tasks over a secured public hotspot, you might be advised to keep it waiting until the body is associated with a safe hotspot at your house . or workplace. It is always better to perform online tasks over a protected wireless network than an unprotected one.

Choose 'not' to save passwords

There are too many passwords. It's difficult for someone to remember them all. For this reason, modern web browsers and websites offer users the option to hold passwords within them. To be about the safer side, it is advisable to avoid the technique of storing passwords on the online banking sites. The security of one's user account might be easily exploited by someone connecting to the internet on the public wireless network. To ease in the trouble of remembering passwords, you're recommended to use password managers available on the internet and locally.

Use HTTPS and SSL

Nowadays, there are many websites who use HTTPS and SSL for better user security. These are the two protocols that offer protected communication. Logging in to your website with HTTPS as an alternative to HTTP helps it be more secure. Most of the commercial organizations utilize SSL way of encryption on their site. In IE 8, users are signified that the website is secured once the colour of the address bar changes to green along with a padlock is displayed. Other modern internet browsers too offer this kind of notification.

Wireless network security is surely an inevitable issue that has to have addressing. Connecting your device for an unencrypted public wireless hotspot can lead with a breach of security. The security of private data and information on the device might be threatened. Cyber rogues can hack your computer and steal all the confidential information. You should therefore always connect with public hotspots which have some way of security. Avoid online transactions, use VPN and the implement the other security measures to have a safe browsing session.