How to Stay Secure on Hotel Wi-fi with a VPN
What is the password for the hotel Wi-Fi?
This is the primary concern, among many things, whenever we stay in a hotel.
This is because of the quest for information and to know what is happening around the world.
It is quite natural!
Is it, however, safe to rely on unsecured Wi-Fi in a hotel?
If you are not an open-book type of person and value your privacy and security, you will certainly ask yourself such a question.
Free Wi-Fi can be dangerous!
But, don’t worry! We can seek the help of a VPN during such situations.
Can We Trust Hotel Wi-Fi?
Although many hotels provide a degree of security, it need not necessarily extend to their internet services.
This is due to the public nature of guest Wi-Fi and the lack of suitable privacy measures.
Internet access via the hotel guest Wi-Fi has no security controls between guests at the hotel and those on the internet.
So it is an easy task for anyone near the hotel to check your traffic going to and from the internet.
In this way, they can capture your valuable online credentials. Why do you take such risks without using a VPN?
In such perilous situations, a free VPN for Android can assist you by securing all of your Wi-Fi connections. Choose SPL VPN if you want the best service in terms of quality and security.
You might think that it is a simple process to log into the hotel’s public Wi-Fi. But, actually, it is a perilous task as the Wi-Fi has no safety and security measures.
Logging on to the hotel’s Wi-Fi can be done within a blink of time.
It is an automatic action.
But this careless act from your side will expose you to crooked third parties in the internet world.
And the result is more than you might realise!
So you are actually giving a free ticket to the internet frauds for the public direct access to the device.
This will happen as soon as you connect your device to the free hotel Wi-Fi or to a wired network connection in the room.
The mission of a VPN is to save your data, protect your online privacy and identity, and hide your online activities. Your personal data is also protected from online attacks.
With a powerful VPN, we can keep data theft and man-in-the-middle attacks at bay.
Search the market for a reputed VPN service now!
SPL VPN is a perfect choice among other VPNs because of its premium features
Increased Popularity of Public Wi-Fi
Have you ever wondered why public Wi-Fi is so popular nowadays?
The COVID-19 pandemic forces us to work remotely and introduces a new trend called “Work from Home” (WFH).
But there’s a change now!
People now prefer to work in public places too.
They are craving free public Wi-Fi. Even if you don’t have a super-speed internet connection or Wi-Fi in your home, you need not worry about that.
Just go outside, and your phone will pick up multiple Wi-Fi hotspots.
So, you will connect to any public Wi-Fi in seconds as an afterthought, right?
Many professionals have been struggling to work peacefully. The pandemic has also influenced the hospitality industry, with more and more hotels across the United States and around the world providing their empty rooms as daytime makeshift offices for those who want to work in a distraction-free atmosphere.
So instead of working from home, they go to hotels. But there is a hidden danger: Whenever you connect to a public Wi-Fi network, you are exposing your personal information to a third party. Simply put, you are jeopardizing your most valuable asset, namely your privacy.
To avoid further losses, it is preferable to download and install a reliable VPN service. When you use a good VPN, your traffic is encrypted, so no one can intercept it over public Wi-Fi.
Tackle Potential Threats While Using Hotel Wi-Fi with a VPN
Public Wi-Fi is convenient to use!
No doubt about that.
But that doesn’t mean that you are secure. Using public hotel Wi-Fi can endanger your confidential data and information.
This shows some possible threats that might happen when using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection.
This is a huge problem.
We’ll start with these possible consequences of using hotel Wi-Fi:
- Stolen credit card numbers
- Stolen bank account information
- Eavesdropping on your online activities
- Username and password theft
- Malware attack
Hackers find it an easy way to steal your credit card information when you’re using public Wi-Fi. Like a Man in the Middle attack, cyber thieves intercept the data flowing from your laptop or smartphone before it gets to a bank, store, or other destination.
To make their mission successful, hackers usually target an unsecured or poorly secured Wi-Fi router.
And often, this poorly secured router is seen in your hotel’s lobby.
If you make an online transaction by entering your credit card information, a hacker can easily intercept and misuse your information.
An Evil Twin attack: Another favorite tactic of cyber thieves is the Evil Twin attack. In this type of attack, hackers create a replica or an exact copy of their own Wi-Fi signal that looks like the one provided by a hotel, coffee shop, or restaurant.
When you accidentally log onto this unauthorized Wi-Fi, the cyber thief can see everything you do online.
These may also include anything you do with your credit card numbers.
This fact is really a bolt from the blue, isn’t it?
That is why it is recommended to never expose your credit card information on public Wi-Fi.
If you still think that you are untouched by any hackers while using hotel Wi-Fi, I beg to differ.
It’s just a piece of cake for cybercriminals to steal your bank account information when you’re relying on public Wi-Fi.
By employing Man in the Middle and Evil Twin attacks, hackers will monitor you as you log into your online bank account or enter your payment card information while online shopping.
Again, do not use public Wi-Fi for online shopping or to check your bank account balances.
If you still believe that the web pages you view, email messages you send, and videos you watch while using public Wi-Fi are private, you are wrong.
As you all know, the internet is a major source of information.
Age is not a factor in becoming an experienced hacker.
Even a young child can become an expert hacker.
Hackers employ their cheating methodology with the help of some basic technology. They can intercept anything you do online after connecting to the public Wi-Fi offered by hotels, restaurants, retailers, and libraries with that technology.
Let’s make it more clear!
It is always a wise decision to withhold yourself from clicking on any sensitive sites, sending important business emails, or watching any embarrassing videos while using public Wi-Fi.
It is impossible to determine who’s watching what you surf on the other side.
So, be alert!
It is common practice to enter your usernames and passwords to log onto sites while surfing public Wi-Fi.
If you do so, you risk exposing these log-in credentials to cybercriminals or snoopers.
Have you ever typed your username or password to log into your bank account?
If your answer is a big fat yes, then your device requires an immediate check-up to know whether it is hacked or not.
Hackers need no time to snatch those credentials and can log onto your account whenever they want.
Likewise, if you sign into online portals offered by your credit card provider, doctor, or retirement accounts, the same thing will happen.
Again, it is better to refrain from financial or personal sites while using public Wi-Fi. If you want to be safe, never visit any site that asks you to log in while you are surfing at a library, restaurant, or hotel.
Instead of relying on intercepting data or stealing your passwords, expert hackers can also send malware to your laptop, smartphone, or other connected devices when you are using public Wi-Fi or whenever you enable file-sharing over the Wi-Fi network.
In another way, others can trap you into downloading malware accidentally when you log onto public Wi-Fi.
And, yes, this will certainly put you in trouble when using public Wi-Fi, even if you don’t visit any banking or credit card sites or log into sites requiring passwords or usernames.
Ever experienced it?
Word to the wise, “Prevention is better than cure.”
It is mandatory to seek the service of a reputed VPN while using hotel Wi-Fi to avoid the above-mentioned threats.
A VPN allows only encrypted data to pass through its virtual tunnel. In that way, no snoopers will see and get your online data.
7 Simple Tips to Stay Safe Using Hotel Wi-Fi
- Install a reliable VPN on your device: This is the golden tip among other ones. Always select a VPN that encrypts your traffic and your information.
- Use an Ethernet cable to set your computer configuration: It is a necessary practice to make sure that you set your computer’s configuration with an Ethernet cable. So that you can minimize the chances of connecting to hotspots run by hackers trying to steal your identity for bad purposes.
- Turn off the file-sharing option on your computer (Windows): You can turn off file sharing from the Set Network Location option in the Control Panel.
- Never select a network with a fake username: If you see “free public Wi-Fi” as the username, ignore that network as it is not from a credible source.
- Do not use hotel Wi-Fi for purposes like online banking or online shopping: As online banking and online shopping require personal or sensitive details, it is a safe practice not to depend on hotel Wi-Fi.
- Ensure two-factor authentication: It is important to check that you’re using two-factor authentication while logging into your accounts, which will add an extra layer of security.
- Update to the latest version of the OS: Always make sure that your work device, as well as any device you will be connecting to the hotel’s Wi-Fi network, has been updated to the newest versions of their operating systems with all the recent security patches.
Now you are armed with these easy tips to have extra security while connecting to a hotel Wi-Fi.
Feel the Power of the SPL VPN on Your Device
No more tension, no more worries. Just SPL.
SPL encrypts your traffic as soon as you connect to a hotel Wi-Fi network.
It is a well-known name in the VPN market in 2022.
With SPL VPN, you can safely and anonymously browse the web without any tension of a cyberattack.
With its unlimited speed and zero data leakage, SPL easily surpasses bandwidth throttling and makes your browsing experience faster. It is a free and unlimited VPN for Android devices.
As SPL has a zero-logging feature, there is no need to worry about privacy issues or security concerns.
In addition to that, SPL lets you bypass geo-restrictions. Thus, any content will be available at your fingertips.
