The cyber world is becoming more prone to malicious attacks. If hackers can breach the top government organizations of the world, then hacking your smart devices is indeed a piece of cake for them. Most attacks happen when one is connected to the internet through an unknown source, for instance, a public Wi-Fi. You may find these free-to-connect routers a sigh of relief when in need of an internet connection, but these are necessarily safe. By connecting to such a platform, you may be acting carelessly. Here are a couple of reasons that you should not connect to a public Wi-Fi network.
Phishing sites
Even if the network is available from a known portal, there are chances that an attacker is monitoring your activity. Also, he/she may lure you to a clone website or a phishing website to exploit your personal information. People are often tricked through this malicious technique where they usually have no clue if they are visiting a legit site or not. Therefore, the best chance to avoid it is by not choosing a public Wi-Fi.
Using the same password for all devices
People often tend to forget their passwords, so they create just one password for all their devices. This is quite risky as connecting to a public Wi-Fi may require you to sign-in through your email account. When you use that password in the portal, you are giving your details to the attacker. This careless activity can result in leaking your password, which may open up all your account on various social networking and other platforms. You can also learn more about technology and smart devices as Apex Tribune.
Manipulating your phone information
Hackers are also capable of altering the information on your smart device. For instance, you may never know when your phone ends up showing illegal searches, and the reason behind it is that you connected to a public Wi-Fi network that is not trustworthy. This can result in your committing a crime that you were not even aware of in the first place.
Deleting your data
Connecting to an unknown free Wi-Fi can also result in hampering of the information on your smart device. Once a hacker gets access to your device, he/she may remove your entire phone’s data and use it as he/she pleases. It can also lead him to blackmail you for some information that you wanted to avoid coming out the public. There have been a lot of blackmailing cases like these where the victim is even prompted to commit suicide.
Protecting your smartphones and other tech gadgets are in your hands. For that, you can choose various methods to avoid hacking activities. You can use methods like installing an antivirus, turning off the Wi-Fi in unknown locations, using a VPN, etc. The idea is to be safe by implementing such techniques and avoiding the risk of cyber-attacks. Also, be aware of your surroundings when in a public place.