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Hit 15 public wifi networks in one week and it made me rethink everything
So last week I went on a little road trip and ended up connecting to 15 different public wifi networks in coffee shops, hotels, and even a library. I thought I was being careful by using the hotel's password protected network instead of the open one, but then I realized that doesn't really matter if anyone else on that network can see what I'm doing. On one hand, I've been using a VPN for years so maybe I was overthinking it. But on the other hand, I started wondering how many people just log into their bank or email without any protection at all. Does anyone else here have a hard cutoff for what you'll do on public wifi, like no banking ever or only if you're on mobile data? I'm curious where other people draw the line.
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christopher_flores461mo ago
Oh man, this makes me feel like a dinosaur because I still get a little thrill when I see the little lock icon on a website, like I've just performed a miracle of self-preservation.
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Yeah, I actually see it pretty differently. A VPN helps a ton with privacy on shared networks, but the bigger risk with public wifi (especially password protected ones) is usually stuff like fake login pages or DNS hijacking, not just packet sniffing. Most banking sites and email providers use HTTPS by default now, so even without a VPN, your actual login info is encrypted during transmission. I still wouldn't do something stupid like buy stuff with a credit card on an open, unencrypted network from a sketchy cafe, but the modern web is way safer than people realize. Honestly, I think the biggest thing is just making sure your device doesn't auto-connect to anything and keeping your software updated.
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