NordVPN takes the protection of personal data very seriously not only in Italy, but also abroad and through a recent study it seems that travelers are the most affected; we are talking about users who go out of Italian soil e they rely on some public line with their own Wi-Fi, perhaps from the airport itself or train station. So hacking takes place by some bad guys and the data of the person involved are at risk.
“It is absolutely normal to be on a cell phone while waiting for a flight or a train. However, when on vacation, people tend to neglect their online safety. Hackers take advantage of this and exploit the vulnerabilities of the public Wi-Fi network of airports and train stations to get their hands on sensitive personal or corporate data “ he has declared Daniel Markuson, cybersecurity expert at NordVPN.
NordVPN explains how you can protect yourself in these situations
Are you planning a long journey? Well, these tips might be for you; abroad, the user is much more vulnerable, especially if he does not know the area he is going or passing through. In fact, hackers rely on this factor, creating gods fake Wi-Fi hotspots called “evil twins” (literally, “evil twins”). Usually they create such deceptions in the places where users transit or arrive almost necessarily such as railway stations or bus stops.
Once connected to the fake network, everything that happens and that resides inside the smartphone is sent to the hacker and that’s it. Furthermore NordVPN makes it clear that too legitimate public Wi-Fi networks can have a high risk of being, so to speak, “holes”. This attack is called man-in-the-middle attack and it works in a somewhat more complicated way. In fact, the hacker’s device must be nearby and between the device’s connection and public Wi-Fi. The coupling, then, is immediate!
“The only way to protect the device from a man-in-the-middle attack is to use a VPN. Our research shows that over 78% of people do not use a VPN when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network while traveling, which increases their vulnerability to hacker attacks “ has continued Daniel Markuson.
What are the main tips to follow?
We have talked at other times about how clever hackers are and how to fight them; today we reiterate the same concept a little, in the hope that you will pay more attention during your travels in the world. And the advice you will read was given by NordVPN, but by experienced travelers who have tested the various situations a bit and who can actually give a subjective and objective opinion.
The use of a VPN is essential, so you can have an extra security guarantee on any Wi-Fi you are going to lean on. A VPN, in fact, encrypts data and does not allow third parties to intercept a user’s data, which is very important to avoid identity theft or other. Also, remember to disable automatic connections; in this way the user is prevented from connecting to a network to which he did not intend to connect, thus avoiding many unpleasant situations.
In addition to this, we remind you not to disclose your credentials; we talked about how to distinguish a real message or email from a scam, but in this case we are talking about something different. Beyond do not make various logins where requested by these decidedly deceptive emails, you should avoid relying on public Wi-Fi to book planes, hotels, trains, and so on. This is because, usually, you leave both your personal data and your account data and the attacker on duty could acquire every single piece of information.
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