Nowadays, most people have the habit of not letting public wifi pass them without connecting. However, less do they know the implication of connecting to public wifi. According to PCI compliance Triada, public wifi is not an option when you value your security. Public wifi is mostly available in cafes, transportation stations, hotels, etc.
Do you know that hackers make use of public wifi in stealing people’s information? This might be surprising to you but with you connecting to public wifi can easily access your information. The worst thing about connecting to public wifi is that you won’t even know when data is being taken from your device. Hackers or cybercriminals always make use of public wifi in stealing people’s important data stored on their device through ways like:
Distribution of malware
Most hackers like to acquire a lot of information from their victim devices while still monitoring them for future opportunities that will bring more benefits. During the process, the hacker needs to connect on the same network as other users using the public wifi before beginning the process of exchanging files.
In most cases, this applies to people that allow their files and data to be visible to users they are sharing a network with. The hacker copies all the data on the user’s device while planting malware inside the device system to continue monitoring the user’s action. It’s hard for people to know when their files are being stolen through this process, so desisting from the use of public wifi is advised unless there’s an emergency to do so.
Man in the middle attack
When hackers steal people’s information from public wifi, it’s hard to determine who is responsible because of the fact that a lot of people are connected to the same network. Therefore, this has been the best strategy for cybercriminals in stealing people’s information undetectably.
Password and username vulnerability
Once you’re connected on the same wifi with a hacker, the passwords and usernames of accounts on your device will be visible to the hacker. This makes your device vulnerable to the extent of not limiting access to unauthorized users from accessing your account passwords and username.
Once the hacker accesses your device through the public wifi, the device will automatically recognize the hacker as the user with the admin access. So, if you are a business owner, you should follow the PCI compliance Triada to improve your device security while avoiding public wifi.
Access to your information
Connecting to public wifi exposes all information on your device to cybercriminals. This allows cybercriminals to get information that can be used in blackmailing you for money in the future. This vital information includes important documents, account login, bank details, credit card details, etc. according to the PCI compliance Triada, it’s important to ensure security on your device and avoid the use of public wifi.
Conclusion
Connecting to public wifi does more harm people than the benefits it provides. According to cybercriminals, public wifi has been their golden opportunity of stealing people’s information that will be useful in extorting money. However, the best solution to this problem is avoiding the use of public wifi or implementing secure cybersecurity protocols on all your devices.
