{"id":13281,"date":"2017-11-03T10:56:46","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T14:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/?p=13281"},"modified":"2017-11-03T10:59:15","modified_gmt":"2017-11-03T14:59:15","slug":"public-wifi-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s world, we wouldn\u2019t survive without WiFi. We have become so accustomed to using wireless internet, we hop on the opportunity to use a free, public wireless connection all the time.<\/p>\n<p>You know what we\u2019re talking about. If you go to a coffee shop, library, airport or restaurant, you tend to search through your wireless connection settings in your smartphone to look for a promising WiFi signal. Or, if one of those aforementioned places offers you free WiFi right off the bat, you know you\u2019re using it as soon as you get situated.<\/p>\n<p>However, did you ever think about the risks involved with using a free or public wireless connection?<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>The risks of public WiFi include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Unencrypted networks<\/li>\n<li>Distribution of malware<\/li>\n<li>Eavesdropping attacks<\/li>\n<li>Malicious hotspots<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These risks are very dangerous to the device user. Business owners might believe they\u2019re providing a valuable service, but they\u2019re most likely not providing the proper security needed. Aside from the business owner beefing up his or her wireless connection security, there are ways you, the user, can stay safe while using a public connection.<\/p>\n<p>Before you click on that unsuspecting WiFi icon, check the authenticity of the connection. You should make it a habit to always ask for the correct information, such as the network name and password, so you aren\u2019t connecting to a malicious hotspot.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re surfing the internet, check to see if the web pages are secure. By secure, we mean &#8220;https encrypted&#8221;. You can check this by looking for the &#8220;https&#8221;at the beginning of the URL. Being \u201chttps encrypted\u201d means having a valid digital certificate and current secure sockets layer (SSL)\/transport layer security (TLS) encryption. If there is no type of encryption, log out immediately!<\/p>\n<p>Make sure your wireless software is up-to-date too. It\u2019s essential to having a secure wireless connection, along with keeping your device in tip-top shape. If someone was to attack your device through a public connection, a dated device would make it easier for them to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Other things one can do to protect themselves while using a public connection include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoiding accessing personal information while using the network<\/li>\n<li>Turning off your WiFi when you aren\u2019t using it<\/li>\n<li>Logging out of websites, social media, and other accounts when finished<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Contact SWG, Inc.<\/h3>\n<p>If you have questions about a securing your wireless connection, or if you\u2019re interested in upgrading your wireless equipment, <a href=\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/contact-us\/\">contact<\/a> SWG, Inc. We\u2019ll be happy to solve your issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s world, we wouldn\u2019t survive without WiFi. We have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":749,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[494],"tags":[18],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.5 (Yoast SEO v22.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks - SWG Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Using free and public wifi has more risks than using a personal and secure wireless connection. Contact the experts at SWG, Inc. for more information.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Using free and public wifi has more risks than using a personal and secure wireless connection. Contact the experts at SWG, Inc. for more information.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SWG Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-11-03T14:56:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-11-03T14:59:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kurt Effertz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kurt Effertz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kurt Effertz\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#\/schema\/person\/094a031b6b30218635e36f5479e45cdb\"},\"headline\":\"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-03T14:56:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-11-03T14:59:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/\"},\"wordCount\":429,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Broadband\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Wireless Broadband\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/\",\"name\":\"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks - SWG Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-03T14:56:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-11-03T14:59:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Using free and public wifi has more risks than using a personal and secure wireless connection. Contact the experts at SWG, Inc. for more information.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/\",\"name\":\"SWG Inc.\",\"description\":\"Wireless Broadband Microwave, Telecom and Cable Equipment Sales and Repair\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SWG, Inc.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"SWG, Inc.\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#\/schema\/person\/094a031b6b30218635e36f5479e45cdb\",\"name\":\"Kurt Effertz\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks - SWG Inc.","description":"Using free and public wifi has more risks than using a personal and secure wireless connection. Contact the experts at SWG, Inc. for more information.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks","og_description":"Using free and public wifi has more risks than using a personal and secure wireless connection. Contact the experts at SWG, Inc. for more information.","og_url":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/","og_site_name":"SWG Inc.","article_published_time":"2017-11-03T14:56:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-11-03T14:59:15+00:00","author":"Kurt Effertz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kurt Effertz","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/"},"author":{"name":"Kurt Effertz","@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#\/schema\/person\/094a031b6b30218635e36f5479e45cdb"},"headline":"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks","datePublished":"2017-11-03T14:56:46+00:00","dateModified":"2017-11-03T14:59:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/"},"wordCount":429,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["Broadband"],"articleSection":["Wireless Broadband"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/","url":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/","name":"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks - SWG Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-11-03T14:56:46+00:00","dateModified":"2017-11-03T14:59:15+00:00","description":"Using free and public wifi has more risks than using a personal and secure wireless connection. Contact the experts at SWG, Inc. for more information.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/public-wifi-safety\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Stay Safe on Public WiFi Networks"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/","name":"SWG Inc.","description":"Wireless Broadband Microwave, Telecom and Cable Equipment Sales and Repair","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#organization","name":"SWG, Inc.","url":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"SWG, Inc."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/#\/schema\/person\/094a031b6b30218635e36f5479e45cdb","name":"Kurt Effertz"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13281"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/749"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13281\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}