Working In a Coffee Shop: Is It Safe to Use Public WiFi?

Summary: There are serious cyber security threats when using public WiFi. However, there are ways to protect personal and company data on public WiFi. Learn the simple steps to take when working in a remote or public setting.

Remote access work is now the norm. More people than ever before work from their homes or in public places such as coffee shops, hospitals, airports, trains and hotels. As a result, portability has become a key benefit of using cell phones, tablets and laptops. However, when out and about, securing your devices and your connection presents a whole new set of security challenges.

The pandemic was a golden goose for hackers. As SMBs scrambled to establish new work-from-home access, most small and mid-sized businesses did not fully evaluate and upgrade their security protocols to adjust to the new remote workforce.

Using VPNs on Public WiFi

Ideally, one should not use public WiFi at all. But at times, there is no other option. Fortunately, there are several ways of securing your devices for remote work:

• Purchase and Install a VPN – VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are a great additional layer of security to add to all your mobile devices. VPNs use “tunneling” technology to create a secure, anonymous connection within your connection, cloaking your IP address and location and encrypting your data end to end. In addition, by selecting a VPN server in another geographic location, often another country, cybercriminals will not be able to track your online activities. As a result, virtual private networks have become fundamental to mobile cyber security and using VPNs on public WiFi is a robust solution for working safely while on the go.

Remote Network Access Safety Tips

• Check the Strength and Security of Your Signal – It is an excellent practice always to ensure your WiFi signal is strong and secure. For example, pay attention if your WiFi says Weak Security or any other warning about your connection. In that case, you should abort what you are doing and limit your use to applications that do not require an online connection. Working remotely without the proper cyber security in place is not worth the cyber risk exposure to your device and company network. Even if you are using a VPN or browsing incognito, unsecured public WiFi opens the door for someone to gain access to your device.
• Be Aware of Physical Privacy – It is prudent not to sit next to or behind anyone when working in public. You do not want to permit anyone to be physically looking over your shoulder or filming your actions when working with private or sensitive data.
• Always Use Up-to-Data Anti-Virus Scanning – A robust anti-virus program should always be running when working in a public WiFi setting. Constantly scanning for viruses will allow you to receive alerts for any attempts at intrusions into your device.
• Keep Devices with You – Unattended devices are invitations to cybercriminals. For example, leaving your laptop on a table to go to the restroom is a risky practice. Even if you have a laptop lock shackling your machine to a table, any time your laptop or table is left alone and out of your immediate sight, it is at risk of being tampered with in many ways. If you use a cable lock, logging off your device before leaving it is a standard best practice for making it more difficult for a cyber thief to compromise.
• Install All Updates – By keeping your system and apps updated with the latest releases from the product software developers, you will be adding more cyber security to your mobile work setting. In addition, many updates contain crucial security fixes to repair known vulnerabilities. If possible, set your system and all your apps on automatic updates. It will be one less thing to manage.

Public WiFi Hacking Case Study

An accountant commuting from Long Island, NY, just missed her train on her morning commute. The next train was due in 17 minutes, so she walked back into the station waiting area and booted up her laptop to check emails and maybe do some work. A hacker pretending to be waiting for a train set up two rows over. He was poised to intercept and breach her laptop’s connection as soon as she logged onto the station’s public WiFi. Unfortunately, the victim did not bother to activate her company’s VPN because she thought she would be working such a short time that it would not matter. The hacker gained access to her laptop and was downloading data and viewing her online activities for a full 15 minutes as she worked.

Within days, clients of the accountant’s firm were being contacted for extortion payments to keep information from their competitors. Accounting is a high compliance business and the cyberattack placed the employee’s company in jeopardy.

Avoid Using Public WiFi – Try Hotspots

Although many employees efficiently fill waiting time with work or enjoy working in places like coffee shops, it is best never to use public WiFi. In the case of remote work, public means exposure. So, if possible, you should never use public WiFi. Although a slower connection, using a hotspot is a better alternative.

Mobile Device Security for Small Business: Key Takeaways

Protecting mobile devices from cyberattacks is vital to securing your network data and is part of any SMB’s mobile device security plan. It is far less expensive and time-consuming to prevent a data breach than to recover from one. Contact your network support technician for remote access support. They can assess each computer and device (including firewalls and servers) that connects to your network and provide affordable solutions designed to protect small business networks, company employees and their clients.