Stay safe on any public Wi-Fi network

Man-in-the-middle attacks are one of the most common security risks. They turn hotspots into proxies used between two devices that lack authentication protocols.

This way, hackers can read and record data and communication taking place on the Wi-Fi network. They can access sensitive information like credit card numbers, passwords, or cryptocurrency wallets.

When it comes to Denial of Service Attacks, a hacker bombards specific access points with failure messages, fake requests, and premature successful connection messages for the network to crash.

This can be more about wounding the network itself than the people using it.

However, the hacker typically watches the recovery process, recording all the initial handshake codes as they are re-transmitted by all connected devices, to get access to the system later.

For Evil Twin Attacks, the hackers create a fake network that is almost identical to a public Wi-Fi network to an unsuspecting victim.

Sometimes, the fake networks even have a stronger signal, to lure in more people. Connecting to them grants hackers access to everything done online.

The hacker uses a program to try different password combinations until they have successfully navigated through the system.

FTP brute force attacks are particularly effective against weak passwords, including factory defaults. Users who rely on the same password for all their accounts are also more vulnerable.

A hacker uses a PORT command to pose as a middle man for file transfers that occur directly between two FTP servers.

All information that bounces between these servers can be accessed through the network.

MAC spoofing is the identity theft equivalent when it comes to devices.

Most wireless systems allow a form of MAC filtering that can identify the devices authorized to access and utilize the network. In this case, hackers listen in on network traffic and copy the MAC address of the machine that has network privileges.

While the attack is targeted towards small residential networks, it usually has devastating consequences for your data.

You might also know this technique under the term “packet sniffing”. The openness of public Wi-Fis makes it easy for hackers to monitor your traffic. Packets sniffers are programs designed to record all data transfers across a network.

Information such as usernames and passwords can be easily decoded, and unsecured communications can also be caught.

Due to the nature of these packet sniffers, the hackers don’t even break a sweat. All your data is handed out to them.

For port stealing, the hacker uses your stolen MAC address to force the switch to change its forwarding table. This causes the packets meant to be sent to your device to be delivered to the port the attacker is connected to.

After getting these packets, the hacker can easily decode the information or deny your access to them. Even worse, the hackers can also choose to insert malicious code into those packets, in hopes of infecting other users as well.

Nowadays, people mostly associate cookies with targeted advertising, but that’s not always the case. Some cookies are designed to customize and make your browsing experience as smooth as possible.

In one such case, cookies can be used to store your username and password for different sites, so that you do not have to log in every time manually.

When you are on an unsecured public Wi-Fi, hackers can get their hands on your cookies. Depending on your browser settings, they can contain enough information to compromise your account and other sensitive credentials.

While most people are usually vigilant for viruses, not a lot of us are familiar with worms. They’re not really the same, though. Viruses require you to download a file, while worms can infiltrate your device, even if you don’t visit any shady sites.

If a Wi-Fi network lacks proper security, worms can easily find their way to you and can compromise your data.