4 ways to stay safe on public Wi-Fi

You probably used to do these in the Before Times.

- ALAINA YEE

Traveling is once again becoming common these days, whether to far-distant locales for a vacation or just down to the local cafe to enjoy the ambiance. That means it’s time to bring back old familiar practices, too. Like everything else we’re having to relearn (how does small talk work again?), good practices security on public Wi-Fi might need a bit of a refresher.

People can snoop on what sites you access, which is a privacy issue as well as a potential security problem. Here are four quick tips that’ll keep you protected while you’re out and about.

BE MINDFUL ABOUT WHAT NETWORKS YOU JOIN

Your first line of defense is wisely choosing the public networks you join, especially if you’re lax about your other protective measures. Anyone can scan the traffic being passed on a network—they just have to install a program that captures data packets on their computer. Exchange unencrypted data with a website and your sensitive information goes up for grabs.

Your main goal should be avoiding open networks that are run by unknown administrators. You want to pass over obvious bad apples. Department stores, hotels, and airports are more sure bets—they don’t set up their Wi-Fi for the purpose of spying on the people who use it. (At least, they don’t do so for the purpose of sussing out home addresses, credit card info, national ID numbers, and the like.) Also pay attention to the spelling of network names— don’t fall for imposters.