The classic mistake everyone makes when using WiFi on vacation

The Summer 2022 Is about to start in the Southern Hemisphere and thousands of Argentines are already preparing their suitcases to leave Holidays in January. Far away from home, most travelers tend to connect themselves Cell phones Y Computers To the first WiFi They are available to avoid using your mobile data.

That is the truth Public and open WiFi networks of hotels, beaches, airports and restaurants pose great risks Because they are not encrypted: Anyone within a certain range can view information sent over the Internet.

“The attacker can be within the boundaries of the public network, for example, operating a malicious dual WiFi point of the same name that has a strong signal instead of the actual signal. Users’ requests can be redirected to duplicate pages or searched using proxies.Chester Wisniewski, an expert at the British Defense Hardware and Software Company, explains. Sophos.

And he adds: “As if this were not enough, A criminal can observe communications To intercept any insecure data “.

WiFi: How to minimize risks when connecting to public networks

According to Sophos, no one should trust public WiFi networks, but they are Alternative ways to reduce risks. For example, the company recommends use Door, A personal and secure browser that serves Can prevent any cyber criminal Who wants to access the computer.

“It may be a little slow from time to time, but if you have reason to believe that advanced opponents can play with you, Dor is better at defending against them,” Wisniewski explains.

On the other hand, Sophos recommends the use of one Password Manager; And select Passwords longer than 18 characters.

Finally, in the case of using financial services from a cell phone, it is better to use it Data plan WiFi cannot be opened because a criminal can access a bank account and steal funds.

How to reduce mobile data usage

That day will always come Spending megabytes (and gigabytes) is out of hand We pay the consequences: no data, terrible browsing speed or extra charge on our phone bill.

Data costs money. Entertainment like watching series Netflix Send a message through our device Share To consult Twitter, Facebook The Instagram This is what consumes the most mobile data. Despite the implementation of unlimited data rates that are still accessible, many users still have a limit that could cause distribution issues at the end of the month.

There are cheaper alternatives to using our smartphone Possible minimum mobile data. You need to follow some steps:

• Enable data storage: If the operating system detects a limit, it stops using data or slows down. This way, if you have a data rate of 5GB per month and each extra mega exceeds a fixed price, you can set the data limit to 5GB. The way to do that depends on the phone brand, but in all of them it is found in the settings section.

• Set consumption limit: Most Android and iPhone mobiles offer this option, setting the limit to megabytes or gigabytes so that it does not exceed the allowable limit. The easiest thing is to enter ‘Settings’ and use ‘Quick Search Engine’ to enter ‘Data Limit’ or something similar.

• Download Documents Over WiFi Only and Update Applications: When connected to a Wi-Fi network, it is a good idea to allow our smartphone to only download documents or photos and update applications. For Android, you need to access Google Play> Touch Your Profile> Settings> Network Options> App Download Option> Wi-Fi only. To be updated when these apps are connected to the WiFi network, you need to go to ‘Automatic Updates’ and say ‘WiFi only’. For iOS, to enable it, you need to disable the Automatic Downloads option with Settings> App Store> Data.

• Use Google Chrome in storage mode: If your web browser is Google Chrome, you can enable ‘Saving Mode’. To enable it, you need to go to the application and go to Settings section> Advanced settings> Basic mode. This way, the browser will reduce the use of Giggs by up to 60%.

With information from La Vanguardia.

S.L.