The open Wi-Fi hotspots available at various coffee shops, malls, airports, railway stations, workplaces and other public places, are great opportunities for intruders to gain access to unauthorized
data. Here are important practices that could prevent network-based threats.
Turn Windows Firewall On
Firewall Protection, an essential component of a security software, secures your laptop from traffic flows to untrusted zones. Windows Firewall, a real-time network monitoring and regulating software from Microsoft, defines a set of security rules and standards for defending a laptop from brute-forcing hacking attacks conducted over untrusted connections.
- Press Windows Key + X; choose Control Panel.
- Click System and Security | Windows Firewall.
- Click Turn Windows Firewall On or Off link from the left panel.
- Enable the Firewall for both the Public and Private connections.
- Click OK.
Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
When it comes to public Wi-Fi hotspots, the first thing that comes to the fore is the Virtual Private Network, abbreviated as VPN. While establishing a network connection through an open Wi-Fi, you should be using a VPN, to prevent yourself from potentially harmful attacks. The VPN service, which comes in both free and premium plans, is widely used worldwide for connecting over untrusted network connections at public places. You can sign up for a well reputed Virtual Private Network service to secure your privacy and confidentiality.
Use Only Secure HTTPS Websites
Accessing cloud services, web-based email sites with plain HTTP connection might well be an invitation to potential account hacks. Your emails; files transferred through File Transfer Protocol (FTP), a commonly used protocol, to the cloud server, could be at greater risk. Vulnerabilities in plain HTTP connections can enable hackers to trace your user name, password and other sensitive information.
There are, however, some websites which use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) connection during sign-in interval only, making the service partially vulnerable to security threats. Your chat conversations, emails and files transferred to cloud servers, could still be viewed, accessed by hackers. Hackers, once they’re able to access email address, could initiate a password reset request, view the password reset code or click the password reset link, and compromise your other online accounts.
Do not access your emails and cloud files over an unsecured HTTP connection. Use only Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) connection. To your surprise, nowadays major email services use only HTTPS standard for the safety and security of their users. You must, therefore, check for the “https” in the Address Bar, in addition to a secured Green Bar and a valid Website Certificate. If the Address Bar entirely turns green, it is said to be a Green Bar, which means that the website uses an HTTPS connection and possesses a valid Security Certificate, and is safe and secure for browsing and online transactions. To view a website’s security certificate, just click the green Lock icon at the far-left side of the Address Bar. The above discussed parameters might be helpful to evaluate a website’s security benchmarks and to protect yourself on an open Wi-Fi connection.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Activate the Two–Factor Authentication, an extra layer of security protection, on as many accounts as possible. Two–Factor Authentication, sometimes referred as, Multi–Factor Authentication, requires an additional piece of information such as a One Time Password (OTP) or a Physical Token at the log-in interval.
An OTP is a code that automatically expires after one log-in session, typically sent to user’s registered mobile phone, to prevent intruders from gaining unauthorized access to user’s account.
A Physical Token, on the other hand, is a small piece of hardware that needs to be physically possessed, and plugged in through a USB port, serial port or by any other supported means.
Don’t Forget to Occasionally Change Passwords
It is very important to occasionally change your passwords. Make sure the passwords are strong enough, contain alphabets (both upper/ lowercase), numeric and special characters (#$%!&*). Do not use any password for more than one account. This will ensure that all remaining accounts will still be safe if one account is hacked due to a stroke of misfortune.
