‘Akin to having a loud conversation in a busy room’: Cybersecurity expert warns about public WiFi use

With summer time fast approaching and lines growing at the airport, looking for free WiFi is a natural thing to do.

While WiFi can seem like a blessing, according to one cybersecurity expert that can turn into a headache or worse.

“Public WiFi is akin to having a loud conversation in a busy room with a bunch of strangers,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering, office of the CTO, with Check Point Software Technologies. “Most people don’t realize that while they’re using public WiFi they are exposed … so to other people around them.”

Falzon warned many things could happen, including something as simple as a person peering over your shoulder while you use your phone, but added more complex dangers exist.

“There could very well be somebody sitting in a chair even somewhere else in the airport … that you may not be paying attention to who has a wireless device, either in their pocket or in their backpack or their suitcase that is actually listening and intercepting WiFi signals in the room,” he said.

“WiFi technology itself has a number of flaws in it that can be exploited if you’re not careful. And what happens is essentially (a) hacker may be able to insert things like a web page that might look like your banking page. So they’ll actually insert it right into your browser while you’re surfing.”

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Despite these dangers, he did suggest there are several things users could do to ensure their information is safe.

“If you have the ability to basically connect your phone to your laptop and use your mobile data or use the data itself on the phone … that would be the best because mobile data is usually encrypted and is certainly providing you with a lot more safety,” he explained.

Adding, “Don’t stay permanently signed into accounts if you can help it. They often store cookies and things that are sent across the WiFi signal.”

While virtual private networks (VPN) are a popular option, Falzon cautioned about their use, saying there are “a number of risks associated with using a VPN app” and recommended doing research before using one.

“What essentially you’re doing is you’re providing whatever company that has created that VPN … access to all your personal information.”

Falzon added people should frequently check their credit score and to make sure they don’t see anything unusual.