5 Biggest Dangers of Public Wi-Fi Explained

Public Wi-Fi is…a double-edged sword. On one side, it’s incredibly handy for all kinds of work, entertainment, and keeping up with friends while you’re out (and want to save on your data plan). On the other side, public Wi-Fi can be very easy to hack, and is an incredibly common target for hackers looking to steal personal information.

What personal information is at risk, you might ask? Think about all of the times you’ve connected to public Wi-Fi hotspots in the past for your answer. Maybe you were at the mall and needed to check your bank account to see if you had the proper funds for a big purchase, or maybe you needed to access your company’s intranet for important business matters away from your desk. Those important and highly-sensitive bits of information transmitted from your device are highly valuable to malicious users who might want to intercept them and use them for wrongdoing.

So, what are you to do? Obviously, picking a trusted and recognized network is an important first step. But it’s also important to understand the dangers, how they work, and exactly what you risk losing – even if it means thinking twice before you hop on a public network again. But there are also ways you can help protect yourself, which we’ll discuss on the following slides. Use the right arrow to learn more about the 5 Biggest Dangers of Public Wi-Fi.