Working Remotely: How to Use Public WiFi Safely

Summary: This blog examines the risks of using public WiFi and the cyber security best practices that can help you secure your online activities when traveling. If you are uncertain about how to use public WiFi safely, consult IT experts to perform a cyber risk analysis and assist you in securing your remote access work.

Remote access work has become a way of life for many people. To accommodate the demands of staying connected on the go, public WiFi has become more available than ever. Whether you are sitting on a plane using airplane WiFi or using an open network in a coffee shop, you will probably have access to a WiFi connection.

Cyber Security Risks of Public WiFi

Unfortunately, public WiFi is a favorite of cybercriminals. Hackers frequently position themselves in public spaces with unsecured WiFi such as train stations, coffee shops or hotels. A hacker could be sitting right next to you in a train station or airport, waiting for you and other unsuspecting targets to log on to the unsecured connection. They count on users feeling safely anonymous and not considering the security risks of public WiFi.

Is Airplane WiFi Safe?

No unsecured public WiFi is safe. Any cybercriminal within range of your device can breach your open connection and then your data. You might be on a plane in seat 4A while a hacker is viewing your online activity on their laptop in seat 33C at the rear of the aircraft. (Hackers travel, too.) Furthermore, if you are conducting business online, you could be putting everyone on your connected business network at risk. Since you have no way of knowing if airplane WiFi is safe, use a virtual private network while flying.

WiFi Security Case Studies: Lessons Learned from Compromised Business Networks

To underscore the consequences of working on public WiFi, here are a few real-life situations that could bring an SMB network to its knees:

• One of your sales representatives is catching up on emails on her laptop in a coffee shop. She’s logged onto the shop’s public WiFi and is sending and receiving emails between clients and her company. She is also conducting personal banking transactions and other tasks. Meanwhile, across the street at the public library, a hacker is breaching her connection. The criminal is downloading her business and personal data, including saved passwords, to gain access to her business’s network and company data.
• Your Research and Development department head is at an airport and his flight has been delayed. The employee if using the extra time to catch up on work. He logs on to the airport’s public WiFi to update some proprietary research, which is part of his company’s intellectual property. Intellectual property is often the lifeblood of a business, and the employee’s cyber security recklessness has made him an easy target for hackers. Once the company research data is breached, the cyber thief can sell the proprietary data to the competition, putting the manager’s business, employees, customers and investors all at risk.
• A small, multi-office medical practice uses video conferencing to discuss a proprietary procedure. On one call, the medical director is presenting a treatment update. During the call, a hacker intercepts the data and posts it for sale in a dark web forum. It is purchased by an organized cybercrime group in Moscow, among others.

Virtual Private Networks to the Rescue

Virtual private networks, or VPNs, have revolutionized remote work security. VPNs encrypt data during transmission and hide your identity, geographical location and IP address.

How Does a VPN Work?

Using “tunneling” technology, VPNs encrypt your network traffic and send it to a VPN server, which could be anywhere in the world. The VPN server further encrypts your data while hiding identifying information, thus creating a secure network that is practically invisible and very difficult to breach. Your online actions can only be traced to the VPN server, not your SMB’s network. Also, even if a hacker somehow manages to grab your data, the encryption turns it into unreadable gobbledygook. The encrypted data is returned to it’s usable form when it reaches it’s intended destination.

There are many great benefits to using a remote access VPN:

• Mobility – A VPN is not a device, but the technology can go with you wherever you travel. Anywhere you can find a WiFi signal, you can use your VPN.
• Secure File Sharing – With a reputable VPN, you can safely share your most sensitive business or personal data without outside interception.
• Anonymity – Your geographical location, identifying data and IP address are “cloaked” by VPNs.
• Backdoor Passes – Because local laws do not govern VPN connections, VPN users can get around restricted websites, firewalls and filters. With complete anonymity, users can also access more websites and glean online discounts that are only available in other countries.
• Very Affordable – VPNs are reasonably priced and cost-effective while providing excellent performance.

Having every employee understand how a VPN works on every mobile device is crucial to securing your SMB's hard-earned business data. VPN use must be part of your organization’s official cyber security best practices because your network security is only as good as your weakest compliance link. Making sure employees understand how a VPN works and how to use public WiFi safety should be presented in updated employee security training.

Ignoring the need for robust cyber security is no longer an option. Cybercriminals are here to stay and are constantly developing new ways to breach business and personal data. As technology continues to evolve, it is vital to stay in step with the precautions necessary to keep hackers out. An SMB's data is a precious commodity that must be protected. Take steps to reduce the risk, liability and downtime associated with data breaches.