Many travelers connect to airport Wi-Fi while waiting to board a flight, whether to get some work done or for some light entertainment to while away the hours.
But no matter how harmless it seems, using this WiFi can leave you vulnerable to attacks from cybercriminals.
Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself. In conversation with MailOnline Travel, Claudia Gualdi, Travel Intelligence Data Lead for Risk linea Copenhagen-based company that provides risk assessments for hundreds of travel destinations around the world, reveals all…
HOW OFTEN IS AIRPORT WI-FI UNSAFE?
Gualdi notes that free Wi-Fi at the airport is useful for travelers, as it is often too expensive to use mobile data when traveling abroad. However, she says that ‘no public Wi-Fi network is absolutely secure, especially as it is open to everyone’ and ‘at airports the risk is even greater as thousands of travelers navigate the same network at the same time’.
As harmless as it seems, connecting to airport Wi-Fi can leave you vulnerable to attacks from cybercriminals
Gualdi says it’s “difficult” to know how often these attacks occur, but from a study conducted by Forbes Advisor found earlier this year that 40 percent of respondents had their data compromised while using public Wi-Fi. Of that group, 23 percent reported that it happened at an airport.
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF USING WI-FI AT THE AIRPORT?
Gualdi explains: ‘Users of unsecured Wi-Fi at airports are vulnerable to various types of cyber threats, such as theft of identity and banking information, unauthorized access to emails, password theft or malware from infected downloads.’
She says that “there are also risks of even more complex attacks.” An example is a ‘man-in-the-middle attack’, where ‘hackers can eavesdrop on communications’. Another is a “sniffing attack,” where the hacker can “grab unsecured data from your device.”
HOW CAN YOU CHECK THE SECURITY OF WI-FI AT THE AIRPORT?
“It is difficult to verify the security of every Wi-Fi we connect to, but there are some tips worth keeping in mind,” Gualdi reveals.
Her first tip is to make sure you’re logging into the right WiFi. She says: ‘In airports it is very common to find WiFi networks with similar names. Travelers should ensure they connect to the legal name by asking airport staff for the exact name.”
She continues: ‘This will allow individuals to avoid an ‘evil twin attack’, i.e. when a hacker establishes a Wi-Fi connection with a similar name to the official one, prompting people to connect with the network and therefore act illegally. .’
Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPNelaborates on this, saying: ‘When a traveler connects to such a hotspot, all their personal information (including credit card details, private emails and various login details) is sent to a hacker.’
“Users of unsecured Wi-Fi at airports are vulnerable to several types of cyber threats, such as theft of identity and banking information, unauthorized access to emails, password theft or malware through infected downloads,” says travel risk expert Claudia Gualdi.
Another tip is to ‘prevent a device from automatically connecting to a hotspot’. Gualdi says, “This can be done by disabling features such as ‘auto connect’ for public hotspots.” She adds that “as an additional precaution, the (Wi-Fi) network can be removed from the Wi-Fi settings after use so that the device does not automatically reconnect to it in the future.”
Gualdi says it’s more secure to connect to hotspots that require a password, if they are available. She says: ‘It is also best to avoid ‘open’ or ‘unsecured’ networks.’
Another way to protect yourself, she notes, is to “use a VPN that hides the IP address and encrypts all data sent or received over the Internet.”
Additionally, she recommends installing antivirus software on your device for better protection.
And while it’s probably not an option for travelers at foreign airports, Gualdi says if you can, you can connect to mobile data instead of using a free network.
WHICH WEBSITES ARE SAFE TO VISIT – AND WHICH SHOULD YOU AVOID?
While connected to airport Wi-Fi, Gualdi recommends visiting websites that have “https” and the padlock icon at the beginning of the URLs because this “means that the connection is secure and safe for the user and that the information you send is encrypted and cannot be intercepted’.
It is recommended that you install antivirus software on your device for better protection while traveling
What type of browsing should you avoid when using airport Wi-Fi? She says: ‘In general, it is advisable not to manage sensitive information while browsing on a public, free network, such as during banking transactions.
‘Working with a public network can also expose credentials and important data as employees use work platforms and send important emails or documents.’
In general, she says it’s “best to avoid sending information that you don’t want to be passed on to an unwanted or unauthorized party.”
Again, Gualdi notes that using a VPN “can be very helpful” if you want to protect yourself while working on your device at the airport.
She adds that it’s “important to avoid this.” access a website when a browser displays a warning message’.
HOW CULPABLE IS THE AIRPORT BEFORE THE ATTACK?
Gualdi says that while airport culpability in the event of a cyber attack is difficult to determine, “airports must improve cybersecurity for travelers and provide the best cybersecurity.”