[SOLVED] How dangerous are public WiFis?

[horstp]

I have this cafe in the building where I live, so effectively I have free wifi... is it dangerous to use such a public wifi for your everyday surfing and stuff? What are the privacy concerns?

 

[Deleted member 1272431]

I have this cafe in the building where I live, so effectively I have free wifi... is it dangerous to use such a public wifi for your everyday surfing and stuff? What are the privacy concerns?

Basically it just means that anyone could be on your same network. If nobody wants to "attack" you, there is no issue. It is a bit like asking "are there risks to walk alone in the middle of the night in an empty road"? Well, no. But if something were to happen, you'd know why it happened there.

You can use that WiFi, be sure to have your firewall enabled, an antivirus (keep it up to date), download and execute stuff from reputable sources and just beware that anything you connect on that network may be accessed, so set passwords that are not "0000" or "1234" or "admin", just to give an idea, as someone might steal your data and commit, for example, identity theft. Which you would not notice, but it's bad.

Stay safe

 

[USAFRet]

I have this cafe in the building where I live, so effectively I have free wifi... is it dangerous to use such a public wifi for your everyday surfing and stuff? What are the privacy concerns?

If you didn't know me personally, would you be comfortable logging on to your bank via my WiFi?

 

[horstp]

Thanks for your replies. So, do you reckon I should get my own Wifi then?

I could always do especially critical things using my mobile data.

 

[Deleted member 1272431]

Thanks for your replies. So, do you reckon I should get my own Wifi then?

I could always do especially critical things using my mobile data.

That would be a good idea.
Just assume anything you transmit through that WiFi might be intercepted by someone. So just imagine someone might use it. If that’s ok with, say, a google search for “Why does an Italian die every Hawaiian pizza you order” it might not be so for, as @USAFRet suggested, your bank account, personal data and such.
A Wi-Fi connection nowadays is quite cheap and could just resolve all these potential risks. Just choose a nice password for that, too!

 

[Math Geek]

a VPN is the best way to protect yourself while on public wifi. this will encrypt your traffic so anyone attempting to sniff the traffic won't be able to see what you are doing.

but of course your own connection would be the best if possible.