Free Public Wi-Fi: Who doesn’t love free Wi-Fi, especially when it’s available at airports, coffee shops or public places? While it may seem like an easy way to stay connected, using public Wi-Fi can put your private and financial information at serious risk. The government has issued a strict warning and urged people to avoid using these networks for sensitive tasks such as financial transactions to protect their personal data.
Security in Public Wi-Fi
These public Wi-Fi networks are unsecured most of the time, rendering them open for attacks from hackers. Passwords and bank details are often swept under this suspecting wave. To wrap the awareness campaign about safe online use, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) came out with reminders under its “Awareness Day” campaign. Use caution, these are always attached with an additional protection layer like a VPN when you connect to public Wi-Fi.
Avoid Transactions on Public Wi-Fi
According to News report, in this advisory, the government has advised people to be cautious about doing sensitive activities like banking or online shopping on public Wi-Fi networks. CERT-In said that cyber criminals can easily intercept unsecured connections on public Wi-Fi, putting users at risk of data theft, financial loss and even identity fraud. The government has urged people to avoid making transactions or entering personal information when connected to such networks.
Government gives tips to stay safe
As part of its awareness campaign, CERT-In has also shared some important safety tips. People are advised not to click on links or attachments from unknown sources, use long and strong passwords for all online accounts and regularly backup important files on a separate external drive.
These habits can help build strong security around personal information. The advice further emphasizes that even simple activities like checking email or logging into social media accounts on public Wi-Fi can be risky if proper precautions are not taken.
It is also advised to use a secure virtual private network (VPN) for additional security and avoid using autofill options on web browsers. CERT-In is the national agency responsible for incident response and cyber security in India. It works under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
As per the Information Technology Act, 2000, CERT-In acts as the national nodal agency for responding to cyber security incidents. Its role is to collect, analyse and share information about cyber incidents and provide emergency measures.