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These Are the 5 Biggest Wi-Fi Security Risks

Think you're protected while using the public Wi-Fi hotspot at your favorite café or restaurant? Think again! Keep reading to learn the risks.

The public Wi-Fi of 2017 is much improved from the era of unprotected, vulnerable WLAN Internet. However, your Wi-Fi could still be compromised if you’re unlucky or careless while using public or private Wi-Fi. So, it’s important to stay armed against potential security breaches. One way to check the security of your Internet, whether you’re on a public or private network, is to use the Wi-Fi Check feature:

Test-Your-Connection
Wi-Fi Check will check your network and DNS security for any threats, in addition to informing you of your network speed and download speed. Since knowledge is the key to staying safe online, the following is a list of the top 5 biggest security risks. Remember: it’s always better to use a private Internet connection, if possible!

  1. Unsecured Networks

Public Wi-Fi hotspots aren’t always properly secured. Never join an unknown open network just because it’s available to anyone. If you don’t know who is providing a Wi-Fi connection, you shouldn’t be using it; end of story. Unsecured networks are far more vulnerable to an attack, and you could be walking right into a hacker’s trap.

Read More: What a Hacker Sees When You Use Unsecured Wi-Fi

  1. Data Interception

Data interception is a serious risk if you’re using public Wi-Fi, or an older WLAN format like TKIP. The most common form of data interception is known as Man-in-the-Middle (MiM). During MiM, a hacker is latching onto data packages as they travel between two Wi-Fi users. This attack is also sometimes referred to as “eavesdropping.”

  1. Denial of Service (DoS)

WLAN Internet connections are often targeted by Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. A DoS attack occurs when a malicious party floods an Internet network with unwanted traffic. This surge in traffic levels often makes the network unresponsive to legitimate users, thus preventing them from establishing an online connection.

  1. Wireless Phishing

Hackers are always developing more advanced methods to steal personal information, including wireless phishing. One type of wireless phishing attack is carried out by infecting a user’s browser cache. If a hacker successfully breaches a web session in-progress, they can redirect that user to phishing websites, even after the user leaves the Wi-Fi hotspot.

  1. Rogue Access Points

Thankfully, rogue access points aren’t nearly as common as they used to be. Still, these unauthorized APs do pose a security threat. What is a rogue AP? It’s an access point that’s installed into a Wi-Fi network. Usually, these APs are meant to give clients better accessibility to the Internet, but the wireless router has been poorly configured. A vulnerable router is prime bait for hackers to break into.