The Risks of Public WiFi

Public WiFi

With working from home increasingly normalised, makeshift workspaces can range from a home office to a kitchen bench or a converted study. Working across new kinds of workspaces means you may not have access to the security and support provided onsite by your Managed IT Services company. One of the biggest risks of working remotely is public WiFi and home networks. This includes working from home during a lockdown or at a cafe or airport in normal times.

Public WiFi

Public or guest WiFi is WiFi that is generally free. It is also usually not protected by a password and can be connected to by anyone. Free public WiFi is usually offered in high traffic areas such as:

• Shopping centres
• Hotels and other accommodation
• Cafes, restaurants and coffee shops
• Airports, train stations and other transport venues
• Libraries

For people working on the go, public WiFi seems like an attractive alternative to using your phone hotspot or paying for a USB 4G or 5G service. However, because public WiFi is often unsecured it can be accessed by anyone. This means the network can be lurking with hackers and cyber attacks waiting to happen.

Home Network

Like public WiFi, working from home on your home network may also be problematic. Home networks are nowhere near as secure as an office network, particularly Managed WiFi that is backed by your MSP IT Services Provider. Here are some common threats to home networks that can create vulnerabilities.

Weak passwords. Having a memorable password may be handy when you need to recall it, but if a password is memorable there is a chance it is also easy to guess. Passwords are recommended to be over 14 characters, a mix of upper and lower case letters, and including numbers and special characters.

Unknown activity from WiFi users. Even if you practise safe browsing and cyber security habits, you cannot be sure that other users on your home network do too. Viruses can be picked up from dodgy emails or websites by anyone on your home network and soon infect your device.

Risks of Compromised WiFi Connections

Free or unprotected WiFi can easily be hijacked and could lead to your device, accounts, and data being compromised. Here are some common risks that occur from public or compromised WiFi.

• Theft of personal information and data. If you are on public WiFi or an infected home network, anyone could be monitoring your internet activity. Banking credentials, passwords, and other sensitive data can easily be scraped without your knowledge when working on unsecured WiFi.
• Compromised business data and breaches. Working from home means you are no longer working on one centralised and secure network. Instead, team members are working across numerous different and perhaps unsecured networks. If one device becomes infected, spoofing emails, data breaches, or other types of attacks may be orchestrated.
• Malicious hotspots. Also often referred to as rogue access points, a malicious hotspot will spoof a legitimate network that is otherwise reputable. Hackers will set up spoofing pages or entire networks and trick users into connecting. From there, whatever you browse or disclose through your device can be accessed by the hackers hosting the spoofed network.
• Cyber attacks. Compromised WiFi is another low-key way for hackers to plant viruses and orchestrate cyber attacks on your device without your knowledge. For example, a hacker may install keystroke logging software through a compromised network. They will then watch what you type including passwords and other sensitive information.
• Packet sniffing. Although this is less common now that most websites use HTTPS, packet sniffing can still occur on unprotected networks. Packet sniffing is a tool that allows hackers to eavesdrop on your internet activity whilst on an infected or compromised network. This allows hackers to intercept your internet connection and from there steal your sensitive data and information.

Dos and Donts for Public WiFi

Do not

• Allow devices to automatically connect to public WiFi
• Browse or log in to any sensitive accounts such as banking or MyGov when using public WiFi
• Use any website that is not HTTPS as these are not protected and can be intercepted by hackers

Do

• Use a VPN to protect your connection
• Switch to a personal hotspot from your phone or a USB 4G or 5G service
• Log out of sensitive accounts if you must use public WiFi
• Establish complex passwords for your home network

Managed WiFi

Milnsbridge’s comprehensive Managed WiFi solutions focus on optimal performance, reliability, security, and scalability to give your business a competitive edge. Whether you are working in an office, from home, or on the go, Milnsbridge’s Managed WiFi solutions will keep your network reliable and secure. Additionally, if your business chooses to run a guest WiFi network, Milnsbridge will fully optimise it to our Secure Operating Environment standards so that users of the guest network can browse without worry about potential breaches.

Working from Home

Working from home on potentially unsafe home networks could be risky for your business and its data. Milnsbridge offers comprehensive work from home solutions including tailored solutions to establish VPNs. It also includes remote access software for team members. This reduces the risk of infected or compromised home networks threatening security for businesses.

Secure Operating Environment and 2FA

Partnering with a Managed IT Services provider such as Milnsbridge ensures that your network and devices are all secure. Our Managed Security services and Secure Operating Environment practices include best-in-class anti-virus, email spam protection, EDR software, and much more to proactively detect and shut down attacks should they arise. Similarly, two-factor authentication in conjunction with good password practices can reduce the risk of your accounts being compromised on public WiFi. You can read more about Managed Cyber Security.

Milnsbridge specialises in cloud managed WiFi, security, and work from home solutions. If you are interested in discussing IT Support services, call Milnsbridge today on 1300 300 293.