<div id=”id_text” itemprop=”articleBody”>
Everyone uses a public Wi-Fi network when on holiday. For example in the hotel room, when you are looking for a nice restaurant to eat. But what many are not aware of is that using the internet via public WiFi comes with risks. You can protect yourself against this with some simple security measures.
Most hotel bookings now include free WiFi. And every restaurant you visit abroad and even almost all sights are equipped with public WiFi networks. It is therefore very easy to look up something online, even abroad.
But when you use a public network, it is important that you are aware of the risks involved. This does not mean that it is always dangerous to use the internet via a public network, but it does mean that you may become a victim of cybercrime.
What can happen on public networks?
Hackers like to use public networks to steal personal data. Just think how easy it is for yourself to log in and out of a public network. It is just as easy for a malicious person to go online, track down data and disappear into digital smoke again.
In addition, cyber criminals regularly create malicious networks with a similar network name. For example, if you want to log in to your hotel’s network and there are two networks that are very similar, for example ‘Hotel_wifi’ and ‘Hotel-wifi’, there is a good chance that one of the two has been created by a hacker.
What can you do?
Always check carefully which public network you are connecting to. Is this the official network of the location where you are? Or could it be a fake hacker network? Be alert to this and only go online on official networks.
Another way to protect your personal data is to use a VPN. Such a so-called Virtual private network ensures that all your data is sent over the internet in encrypted form. A hacker can then at most view the encrypted version of your data.
In addition, you are more anonymous on the internet. With a vpn, all your internet traffic is sent via an extra server at a different location. This ensures that only the properties of that server can be seen by other internet users, and no data about the WiFi network you are on or about your device.
Get a VPN subscription
To use a VPN, you need a subscription. These subscriptions come in all shapes and sizes. The costs also vary: from free to a few euros per month for a more extensive version.
Because there is so much on offer, it is wise to delve into the differences between different VPN providers. To make that easier, VPNGids.nl has tested all kinds of VPNs and listed the Best VPN for you.